| REVIEW ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2013 | Volume
: 15
| Issue : 2 | Page : 69-75 |
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Does docosahexaenoic acid play a role in infant malnutrition in the children of Fulani nomads in Northern Nigeria?
Robert H Glew1, Dorothy J VanderJagt2
1 Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
2 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Correspondence Address:
Robert H Glew
Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, MSC 10 5610, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 0001
USA
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/2276-7096.123574
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Malnutrition is a major contributor to the death of children under 5 years of age in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, poor nutrition causes stunting and underweight in infants and children while at the same time putting at risk normal neurologic and cognitive development. A recent study of rural Fulani infants up to age 2 years in northern Nigeria found that more than one-quarter were stunted and underweight. The nutritional status of these infants was relatively sound at birth but progressively declined over the following 2 years. While insufficient dietary macronutrients such as protein and carbohydrate and micronutrients such as iodine, zinc, vitamin A and iron may well have contributed to their post-natal growth retardation, in this report we raise the possibility that inadequate intake of essential long-chain ω-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in particular, by infants during the first few years of life may play a role in childhood malnutrition in this part of the world, especially in populations like the Fulani pastoralists who live far-removed from the ocean which would otherwise provide access to DHA-rich seafood. We conclude this piece by suggesting several approaches for improving the DHA status of pregnant and lactating Fulani women and their offspring in Nigeria. |
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