A/71/282 that malnutrition will continue to persist, unless a coordinated effort is made to shift from unsustainable industrial food systems to ones that are “nutrition sensitive”. 5. The Special Rapporteur wishes to acknowledge the important contributions made to this topic by the former Special Rapporteur on the right to food and the former Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health in their respective reports on the right to an adequate diet (A/HRC/19/59) and on unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health (A/HRC/26/31). A. Malnutrition in all its forms 6. Malnutrition includes undernutrition, micronutrient deficiency and conditions associated with excess intake and nutritional imbalance. Undernutrition is a consequence of consuming too few essential nutrients, caused by either insufficient food intake or repeated infectious diseases. The most basic kind of undernutrition is protein energy malnutrition, which in its acute form leads to wasting. Identifying wasting in children is crucial because the condition is reversible, if appropriately addressed. In its chronic form, it is caused by sustained poor dietary intake or repeated infections during the first 1,000 days of a child ’s life and can lead to stunting. Stunting is irreversible and leads to shortness in stature, immediate and long-term morbidity and mortality and problems with cognitive functioning. 3 7. Micronutrient deficiency describes a condition in which there is a lack or shortage of vitamins and minerals. Also referred to as “hidden hunger”, it increases vulnerability to infection, birth defects and impaired development and can lead to premature death. For example, iron deficiency leads to anaemia, vitamin A deficiency weakens the immune system, and iodine deficiency int erferes with brain development. 4 8. “Unbalanced nutrition” occurs when the body is exposed to too much dietary energy and leads to overweight and obesity. It may result from eating too much or too many of the wrong things, as well as insufficient exercise, and can lead to an increased risk of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and diet-related cancers. 5 9. Traditionally, undernutrition and “hidden hunger” were considered specific to the developing world, while obesity was commonly perceived to mostly affect developed countries. It is now recognized that different forms of malnutrition coexist within most countries. Obesity rates are increasing in developing nations that are exposed to globalization while undergoing economic transition and urban migration. This is part of the global “nutrition transition”, which is seeing a rise in consumption of energy-dense yet nutrient-poor foods, coupled with more sedentary lifestyles. As a consequence, many countries are now confronted with not only undernutrition but also rising rates of obesity. 6 __________________ 3 4 5 6 4/24 World Food Programme (WFP), “Hunger glossary”, available from www.wfp.org/hunger/ glossary; WFP, “Types of malnutrition”, available from www.wfp.org/hunger/malnutrition/types. WFP, “Types of malnutrition”. WHO, “Obesity and overweight”, fact sheet, June 2016. Bryan L. McDonald, “Food as a key resource for security and stability: implications of changes in the global food system 1950-2000”, Penn State Journal of Law and International Affairs, vol. 3, No. 2 (2015), pp. 42-55. 16-13441