The IAEA Establishes Partnerships with International Organizations to Prevent Malnutrition in Children and Older People

The period from conception to 2 years of age — the first thousand days of a child's life — represents a critical window of opportunity for avoiding health risks later in life. The assessment of growth during this crucial period of early vulnerability has traditionally been largely based on anthropometric measurements such as body weight and length, with less attention to the quality of growth and the relative partitioning of nutrients to fat-free mass or fat mass. However, now, the amount and distribution of body fat and the amount and composition of lean mass are understood to be very important for the long term health prospects of infants and children. Isotope techniques can be used to measure body composition with a high degree of accuracy. This provides governments with key data to enable them to make decisions about national nutrition interventions on the basis of evidence. The IAEA is working in partnership with international organizations around the world to reduce malnutrition, and, consequently, to alleviate the multitude of preventable diseases caused by poor nutrition.