Five out of six children under two years old in the world are not receiving adequate nutrition for growth and brain development, The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a report it issued Friday.

    Senior Nutrition Adviser at UNICEF France Begin that "Infants and young children have the greatest nutrient needs than at any other time in life. But the bodies and brains of millions of young children do not reach their full potential because they are receiving too little food, too late." Poor nutrition at such a young age can cause irreversible mental and physical damage, Begin added.

    Childhood nutrition during the first two years of life is critical to development and survival, a statement from the UNICEF said. The report noted that stunting still continues to affect 156 million children under the age of 5, while at the other end of the spectrum, 42 million children are overweight or obese.

    One of the recommendation made in the report is to introduce solid, semi-solid and soft foods at the age of six months.

Source: QNA