The mature human brain contains over 10 billion nerve cells (neurons), whose functions are directly related to the acquisition, transfer, processing, analysis, and utilization of all the information. There are also billions of filial cells, which serve primarily to support and to maintain the integrity of the neuron network and to synthesize an essential fatty structure, myelin. In the human brain DNA content therefore cell number rises rapidly until birth and then more slowly until 56 months of age, when it reaches a maximum. While filial cells may be replaced, the more important nerve cell neurons can never be replaced once they are formed. Humans are born with their full complement of neurons and every neuron is as old as each individual. Thus prenatal malnutrition can seriously affect a person´s entire life by severely inhibiting the production of neurons before birth.
It has been demonstrated that in humans severe malnutrition during the fetal period and in infancy is asscciated with intellectual impairment. Severely malnourished children have brains smaller than average size and have been found to have 15^20% fewer brain cells than well-nourished childen.
There is growing body of -literature pointing to malnutrition as a cause of abnormal behavior as evidence that suggests these abnormalities may produce chromosomal damage that may persist forever. Although cognitive development in children is affected by multiple environmental factors, nutrition certainly deserves more attention than it has received.
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