Systematic efforts at national nutrition planning in developing countries go back barely

a decade. During that brief time there has been considerate progress in establishing the extent and causes of【M1】______ malnutrition and what can be done to reduce it. Ten years ago, malnutrition was often thought of to reflect【M2】______ primarily a shortage of protein(and in some cases, vitamins or minerals). Most nutrition programs concentrated on providing high-protein food to children, usually in schools. However, emphasis【M3】______ today is similar. There is now a wide measure of agreement on several broad propositions. Serious and extensive nutritional deficiencies occur in virtually all developed countries, though they are worst in【M4】______ low-income countries. They are usually caused by undernourishment, not by an imbalance of calories and protein. There may often be【M5】______ shortage of specific micronutrients and of protein, especially with【M6】______ young children. But giving the typical composition of the diets of the poor, to【M7】______ the extent that calorie requirements(as estimated by the FAO and the WHO)are met, it is unlikely that other nutritional needs will also be【M8】______ satisfied. Malnutrition affects old and young, male and female, urban and rural dwellers; particularly prevalent among children under five, it reduces their resistance of diseases and is a major cause of their【M9】______ death. In many societies, girls suffer more than boys. Malnutrition is largely a reflection of poverty; people do not have enough ample【M10】______ income for food. On the condition of the slow income growth that is likely for poverty-struck people in the foreseeable future, a large number of people will remain malnourished for decades to come.

【M1】