Almost nothing is known however, about the long-term consequences of malnutrition. In the first study of its type, Professor Martorell and colleagues are leading a team of scientists representing many disciplines in an effort to link nutrition in early childhood to adult human function. This study is being carried in nearly 2,000 subjects from four villages in rural Guatemala. These young adults participated as young children in a nutrition intervention study and are now being assessed in terms of body size and composition, work capacity, fertility, intellectual competence, school performance, work productivity and social competence. The hypothesis of the study is that nutrition intervention in early childhood lead to adults with an enhanced biological and intellectual capacity, that is, that nutrition interventions improve human capital.
Related studies are also in place to trace the effects of malnutrition across generations.
Specifically, the early nutritional history of young women is being linked to their capacity to bear, deliver and raise healthy, well-nourished children. Again, these are the first studies to be conducted in this area. Undernutrition during pregnancy and early childhood and its consequences for cognitive and behavioral development. Investing in Our Children's Future. Martorell, R. 1996.