Despite rapid development in big cities, many children still suffer from growth stunting in Asia, putting the future of our children at risk.
Stunting refers to a child who is too short for his or her age. As a result of chronic or recurrent malnutrition, stunted children fail to grow both physically and cognitively.
(Source: UNICEF, 2016)
Africa 36%
Asia 57%
1 in every 10 children in Thailand suffer from
(Source: Global Nutrition Report, 2012)
1 in every 10 children in Thailand suffer from
(Source: Global Nutrition Report, 2012)
Credit: WaterAid / Ronny Sen
Child stunting can have long-term effects on cognitive development, school achievement, economic productivity in adulthood and maternal reproductive outcomes.
(Source: Dewey and Begum, 2011)
Research has shown that child stunting is associated with low circulating essential amino acids
(Source: Semba et al., 2016)
Most stunted children do not receive adequate essential amino acids and choline from their diet.
The predominant staples in the Southeast Asian diet contain lower utilisable protein and essential amino acids.
(Source: Lee, 2014)
Essential amino acids such as histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine must come from food.
Most stunted children come from low socioeconomic status. Affordable and accessible quality protein is important for their growth.
Chicken and eggs are high-quality protein sources containing all essential amino acids (high DIAAS score).
DIAAS= Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Scores
(Source: FAO, 2013)
Adding an egg a day to infants’ usual diet for 6 months can help cut stunting rates by half .
(Source: World Economic Forum 2019 | The Future Series White Paper)
Chicken and eggs are affordable, yet empowering quality protein that can help us build a healthy future for our children!
