Effects of Food and Nutrition Insecurity on Global Health

This review examines the profound global health impacts of food and nutrition insecurity, affecting 2.33 billion people with moderate to severe food insecurity in 2023. Defined by the FAO as inadequate access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food, food insecurity disproportionately impacts low income countries (64.5% prevalence) and marginalized groups, including women, children, and Indigenous populations. Key drivers include political conflict, climate change, and economic instability. Health consequences span malnutrition, developmental delays, infectious diseases, and noncommunicable conditions (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular disease), mediated by nutritional, psychological, and behavioral pathways. The article highlights bidirectional links between food insecurity and mental health, epigenetic effects, and systemic inflammation. Solutions require integrated nutrition-specific (e.g., food fortification, breastfeeding promotion) and nutrition-sensitive interventions (e.g., income support, climate resilience). Clinicians are urged to screen for food insecurity using tools like the Hunger Vital Sign and advocate for policy changes addressing root causes. The review underscores the need for cross-sector collaboration to uphold the right to food and mitigate the escalating global burden of food insecurity.

This review examines the profound global health impacts of food and nutrition insecurity, affecting 2.33 billion people with moderate to severe food insecurity in 2023. Defined by the FAO as inadequate access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food, food insecurity disproportionately impacts low income countries (64.5% prevalence) and marginalized groups, including women, children, and Indigenous populations. Key drivers include political conflict, climate change, and economic instability. Health consequences span malnutrition, developmental delays, infectious diseases, and noncommunicable conditions (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular disease), mediated by nutritional, psychological, and behavioral pathways. The article highlights bidirectional links between food insecurity and mental health, epigenetic effects, and systemic inflammation. Solutions require integrated nutrition-specific (e.g., food fortification, breastfeeding promotion) and nutrition-sensitive interventions (e.g., income support, climate resilience). Clinicians are urged to screen for food insecurity using tools like the Hunger Vital Sign and advocate for policy changes addressing root causes. The review underscores the need for cross-sector collaboration to uphold the right to food and mitigate the escalating global burden of food insecurity.