HUMAN NUTRITION IN NIGERIA; A CONTEMPORARY UPDATE
Formerly Published in Vol. 9 No. 2 Jul. - Dec., 2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.83120/pmj.vol4no1.28Keywords:
malnutrition, nutrient deficiency, under-nutrition, over-nutritionAbstract
Nutrition is that science that deals with how food and nutrients affect health. In recent years, the availability of food in Nigeria has been adversely affected by myriads of problems such as poor political governance, insecurity which is worse in Northern Nigeria, economic down toll and climate change among others. All age groups are affected by malnutrition but extremes of ages are worse. Malnutrition ranges from under-nutrition to nutrient deficiencies and over-nutrition which significantly impact on the physiological and mental health and in turn the productivity of an individual. This review is intended to reawaken clinicians and policy makers to the growing trend of nutritional diseases in the wake of climate change, regional violence and worsening economy. There is need for government and other stake holders to take more intentional steps to reverse poor nutritional indices in Nigeria especially among venerable population.
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