Over three million children die every year of malnutrition, a number accounting for 45% of the world's deaths of children under the age of five, according to a new study published in the journal Lancet.
The first 1,000 days of a child's life are crucial for development, notes the study's authors, who say that undernourishment can come with a host of non-fatal complications:
"This series strengthens the evidence that a nation's economic advancement is tied to the first 1,000 days of every child's life. Malnutrition can haunt children for the rest of their lives. Undernourished children are more susceptible to infectious diseases and achieve less education and have lower cognitive abilities. As a result, undernutrition can significantly impede a country's economic growth."
The study also found that iron and calcium deficiencies contribute to maternal deaths. It adds that 165 million kids per year are stunted in growth because of malnutrition.
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