Publications

Malnutrition remains a major global health burden, disproportionately affecting children under five years of age in low- and middle-income countries. It is characterized by inadequate or excessive nutrient intake, leading to stunting, wasting, underweight, or obesity, with significant consequences for morbidity, mortality, and long-term development. Recent evidence highlights the role of the human gut microbiome as a central player in nutritional health, influencing nutrient absorption, immune responses, and metabolic pathways. Alterations in the composition and function of the microbiome, often referred to as dysbiosis are increasingly linked to undernutrition and overnutrition. Case studies in children and adults reveal that malnourished individuals harbor immature or disrupted microbiomes, with reduced microbial diversity, enrichment of pathogenic taxa, and impaired production of essential metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids and vitamins. These findings underscore a bidirectional relationship in which malnutrition shapes microbial ecology, while microbiome alterations exacerbate nutrient deficiencies and disease susceptibility. Interventions such as probiotics, prebiotics, dietary modifications, microbiota-directed complementary foods, and fecal microbiota transplantation represent promising approaches for restoring microbial balance and improving nutritional outcomes. However, challenges such as variability in research methods, ethical concerns, and limited evidence from large-scale trials hinder translation into policy and clinical practice. Advances in metagenomics, metabolomics, and culturomics provide new opportunities for understanding microbiome–nutrition interactions and developing targeted therapies. This review synthesizes current evidence linking the microbiome and malnutrition, discusses therapeutic opportunities, and emphasizes the need for integrated public health and policy strategies to reduce the global burden of malnutrition.