Technical Meeting on EED, the Microbiome and Undernutrition

What is known about EED Stunting develops as a result of sustained inadequate nutrition and recurrent infection.2 Environmental insults affect linear growth through mechanisms that are yet to be fully understood.3 Environmental enteropathy is a combination of infection-undernutrition induced failure of the mucosal barrier of the gut and has recently been referred to as environmental enteric dysfunction to reflect the numerous gut function deficits associated with it. EED affects approximately 50–95% of children under the age of 5 years in resource-poor settings. There is compelling evidence to support the association of EED with: 1) gut permeability/leakiness; 2) nutrient malabsorption; 3) microbial translocation; 4) alterations in gut microbiota diversity; 5) gut and systemic inflammation; 6) linear growth faltering; 7) reduced effect of vaccines and; 8) severe acute malnutrition (SAM).4 Souheila Abbeddou, Victor O Owino, Kirsten V Glenn, Cornelia Loechl Nutritional and Health-Related Environmental Studies Section, Division of Human Health, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria Technical Meeting on EED,* the Microbiome and Undernutrition *Environmental Enteric Dysfunction