Malaria is an infection, transmitted by the bite of the female mosquito, that kills one child in Africa about every 30 seconds, according to the Earth Institute at Columbia University and the World Health Organization. Aggravating factors for malaria epidemics and high mortality rates are economic depression and attendant malnutrition. According to an August 2004 article in the "American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene," research continues to examine how the quality of nutrition and overall robustness of children affects their immune responses to infection.
Malaria Deaths and Diet
A study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health evaluated poor nutrition and specific nutrients in malaria-prone regions, notably in Africa. The results indicate that certain nutritional deficiencies contributed directly or indirectly to the severity of malaria infections in young children, with implications for the wider population. Researchers concluded that malnourished children were up to nine times more likely to die from malaria than adequately nourished children. It is difficult to isolate factors and reactions in environments where poor nutrition and hygiene, inadequate medical care and multiple diseases are common. But vulnerability to malaria, and even mortality rates, seem to be directly affected by specific nutritional deficits.
Zinc Deficiency
Zinc is available in a healthy diet through red meats, shellfish, eggs, nuts, legumes and whole grains. In malaria-prone regions, studies of zinc supplementation in zinc-deprived children produced mixed results when screening for infections and deaths due to malaria. The findings evaluated by the Linus Pauling Institute ranged from spectacular reductions to no discernible effect. It is known that low levels of zinc depress the body's immune functions, lowering production of T cells which fight infection. Diarrhea, pneumonia, HIV and tuberculosis can all take hold in the absence of strong immune reactions to exposure, weakening the entire system. Malaria pathogens respond to vigorous immune responses that kill malaria-infected cells. When those responses are weak, the malaria pathogens can proliferate unchecked. Clinic visits for severe episodes of fever and other symptoms, and mortality rates from the disease, then spike, according to the August 2004 article in the "American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene."
Iron Deficiency
The August 2004 article in the "American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene" also notes that anemia due to insufficient iron in the diet is a globally significant micronutrient deficiency. In malarial regions, the disease itself can cause anemia. Anemia results in depressed immune function, less oxygen transported in the blood, elevated risks for cardiovascular disease, low birth weight and compromised neurological development in children, and higher risks for pregnant women. Malaria-induced severe anemia is a factor in deaths caused by the disease but research about the efficacy of iron supplements in reducing malaria's mortality rates is not yet definitive. According to researchers at the University of Washington in an evaluation published in 2009 in the "American Journal of Human Biology," iron deficiency may protect children from severe infectious diseases like malaria, under certain circumstances.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A deficiency is a well-known cause of the night blindness that leads to complete loss of vision in poorer regions of Africa and Latin America, which are malaria-prone. Lab testing has shown that lower vitamin A stores result in compromised immune systems, more inflammation and greater risk of death from malaria infection as well. But there is a caveat associated with the research. Severe nutrient deficiencies, vitamin A being a significant one, inhibit the rampant proliferation of malarial infection because the host, the human body, is too poorly fed to sustain the pathogens. As soon as adequate nutrition begins to restore health, the disease takes off. As noted in the August 2004 article in the "American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene," researchers recommend administering malaria drugs prophylactically along with nutrition building programs in malarial regions of the world.
References
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health; Improved Nutrition Could Reduce Malaria Burden Worldwide; Laura E. Caulfield Ph.D.; August 19, 2004
- "American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene"; Undernutrition as an Underlying Cause of Malaria...; Laura E. Caulfield, et al; August 2004
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University; Zinc; Jane Higdon Ph.D.; December 2003
- "American Journal of Human Biology"; Evaluation of Iron Deficiency as a Nutritional Adaptation to Infectious Disease...; Katherine Wander, et al.; 2009
- The Earth Institute, Columbia University: Malaria: Frequently Asked Questions
