Undernutrition and growth in the developing world.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Despite targeted interventions, an estimated 150.8 million children under 5 years globally are still stunted, of which more than half live in Asia and more than one-third live in Africa. This review summarizes our current knowledge regarding how longitudinal bone growth is regulated by nutritional intake in the developing world. Dietary macronutrients and micronutrients necessary for growth are also briefly reviewed.

RECENT FINDINGS: Recent advances include investigations of nutritionally sensitive regulators of growth as well as prospective evaluations of the role of specific dietary components on growth in order to better assess their impact.

SUMMARY: Further investigation is required to understand how nutrition impacts growth, the mechanisms underlying stunting and to optimize therapeutic strategies for children who are at risk for growth attenuation or are stunted in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).