Inadequate nutrition leads to untold harm in the young.

Throughout my career as a psychologist and writer, I have dedicated time to studying the concealed harm that vulnerable minds experience. The most dangerous yet rarely acknowledged threat to child development is not war, abuse, or trauma, as these are well-known destructive forces. The most destructive threat comes from starvation alongside chronic protein restriction.

This condition doesn’t just stunt children’s bodies. It silences their future.

What Happens to a Starving Child?

Children need nutrients to construct powerful muscles, along with strong bones, and to develop adequate brain resources. We know that inadequate protein and food lead to detrimental effects that impact every organ system throughout the body. Despite this, hunger and starvation persist in countries where they should not.

PEM stands for protein-energy malnutrition, which represents the medical name for this condition. It includes:

• Marasmus: severe wasting of muscle and fat. Seeing a child in this state is more than pathetic.

• Kwashiorkor: a dangerous protein deficiency marked by swollen bellies, liver damage, and skin lesions. Often, these children will also have golden hair, which indicates nothing except malnutrition.

These aren’t historical terms, but medical professionals diagnose these conditions in present-day communities. Such conditions are usually found in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods, refugee shelters, and nearby residential areas that readers may be familiar with.

The Physical Toll Is Only Half the Story

The physical manifestations of starvation become obvious when observed. Children stop growing. Their immune systems collapse. Bones remain fragile and underdeveloped. My greatest concern as a clinician stems from the invisible harm malnutrition causes in brain development.

Children who do not receive enough protein during important developmental stages will:

1. Score lower on memory and language tests

2. Face difficulties with attention span, emotional control, and learning processes.

3. Experience delayed speech, poor motor coordination, and cognitive inflexibility

The children then fall behind academically because their brains did not receive sufficient nutrition during the critical developmental years when brain circuits needed to thrive. This period is usually defined as occurring before the age of about 4 years.

What Starvation Does to the Mind

The emotional and psychological effects are just as profound. Right now, we’re seeing it all over the world, but mainly in Gaza. Children are dying of starvation while others in the world attend banquets.

Early starvation experiences can permanently change how children respond to emotions and maintain social relationships. Research indicates that starvation results in structural changes that affect the amygdala, together with the hippocampus, brain regions that control emotion processing, memory function, and stress responses. Their brains are literally being warped by starvation.

Children who have experienced protein deprivation face higher risks of developing:

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Emotional numbing

• Social withdrawal

The internalized wound manifests in adults who perceive themselves as "slow," "lazy," or "not good at learning," despite being innocent victims of poverty. Consider how a child who is hungry and lacks energy might appear in a classroom. If they fail to respond to a teacher’s questions or sit back listlessly, will anyone be concerned enough to attempt to understand what’s happening? How many of these children are diagnosed with ADHD? This question has been addressed repeatedly by the renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Alan Francis, Saving Normal.

These children are then placed on psychotropic medications, which will stunt their growth and even prevent them from benefiting from additional learning rehabilitation. When a child is diagnosed, they are stigmatized and go through the system with that on their report card and file. It is then that greater harm, mentally, comes to their self-esteem and their perception of their future.

I wrote a flash fiction story, “Moment of Truth,” where I related how a young boy, who had no money, stood on a cafeteria line in his elementary school, and, fortunately, the woman parceling out the food recognized what was happening. Although her co-worker wanted to demand money or a lunch ticket, she gave the food to him because she understood what poverty does to a child. I understand it, too. As a young child, I lived in a cold-water flat where mothers lived on black coffee to provide milk and bread for their children.

It was fiction, but we know it happens in schools all over the country. Free breakfast and lunch programs are scarce, and we pay a price for not adequately feeding those children. What is the price? We will pay it when they become adults and can’t get jobs or finish school and may end up in prison.

Research revealed that feeding young animals low-protein diets resulted in anxiety problems, impaired memory function, and decreased brain activity. Human studies echo these findings. People who survived famine and prolonged malnutrition, as I’ve written, often experience enduring educational and social as well as economic challenges despite food availability.

Hunger Is Inherited, Too

We don’t need more studies because nutritional science has revealed a disturbing fact: starvation creates lasting effects that impact both the affected individual and their future generations.

Epigenetic studies reveal that starvation creates changes in gene expression patterns. People can then inherit these biological changes. Hunger produces hereditary effects that continue from one generation to the next. Research has shown this pattern in two distinct groups: Holocaust survivors’ children and communities affected by historic food shortages.

The takeaway? Starvation doesn’t just hurt one child. It echoes forward through generations.

A Mental Health Crisis, Not Just a Nutrition Issue

This isn’t just about calories. This is a mental health emergency. Protecting children’s bodies and minds requires us to:

1. Ensure access to protein-rich food

2. The medical profession needs pediatricians and mental health professionals to learn about detecting and treating malnutrition-related emotional consequences. When an 8-year-old child weighs only 3/4 of what the normal weight should be, something has to kick in and set off alarm bells.

3. Designing school programs should focus on creating nutritional equity between students rather than simply providing full stomachs to all. But everyone should be fed so that no one is stigmatized by having to ask for a special pass or go on a special line. I saw it at my elementary school.

4. Destigmatize food insecurity and support families without shame

The recovery of children depends on early detection because no intervention will succeed without prompt diagnosis. The brain demonstrates exceptional healing powers during its initial years of development, but it can‘t heal by itself without proper nourishment, along with stability and proper care.

During my conversations with food-insecure families I hear both their deep sorrow and their optimistic outlook. Parents want to do better. Communities want to help. The treatment of childhood malnutrition requires immediate recognition as an acute psychological and medical crisis, which we must address as professionals, advocates, educators, and neighbors.

Children deserve more than basic survival from us. We owe them the chance to thrive.