Chronic hunger

It is important to note, however, that in poorer countries it is more common to experience a slow or progressive disaster event. (See Nur [1999] for further discussion in relation to progressive disasters in Africa.) This is where a disaster occurs over a period of months or years but can have the same devastating consequences as a sudden disaster. In addition, slow disasters often occur in countries that have endemic problems such as malnutrition and disease. Africa is an excellent example of this. As 23.5% of the population of Africa suffers from chronic hunger (Nur, 1999), they are at high risk of malnutrition and disease if a disaster... 

Worldwide, we produce 4600 kilocalories per person per day, and yet only 2000 to 2800 kilocalories are available for consumption. In the United States alone, consumers waste 10 times more food per capita than those in Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, 925 million people suffer from chronic hunger. This challenge of food security will only increase. A McKinsey Consulting report projects that reducing food waste at the consumer level by 30% could save roughly 100 miUion acres of cropland by 2030 (Dobbs et al., 2011). 

Leptin administratioii suppresses hypothalamic endocannabinoid levels in normal rats, while genetically obese, chronically hyperphagic rodents express leptin-reversible, elevated hypothalamic anandamide and 2-AG levels (J9). Moreover, fasting seems to inaease levels of both anandamide and 2-AG in the limbic forebrain and, to a lesser extent, of 2-AG in the hypothalamus, whereas in fed animals the hypothalamic content of 2-AG declines (72). However, another study has shown that while food deprivation failed to alter anandamide levels in whole brain, hunger did increase intestinal anandamide content, which normalized following feeding (79). 

Global poverty and human development are two important issues of our time that require a collaborative effort to increase awareness, interest, and research. Some 800 million people still experience chronic and transitory hunger each year. Over the next 50 years, we face the daunting job of feeding 3.5 billion additional people, most of whom will begin life in poverty. The battle to alleviate poverty and improve human health and productivity will require dynamic agricultural development. 

A number of compounds act either to suppress the activity of the hunger centre in the hypothalamus or to stimulate the satiety centre. Sometimes this is an undesirable side-effect of drugs used to treat disease and can contribute to the undernutrition seen in chronically ill people (section 8.4). As an aid to weight reduction, especially in people who find it difficult to control their food intake, drugs that suppress appetite can be useful. Three compounds are in relatively widespread use as appetite suppressants fenfluramine (and more recently the D-isomer, dexfenfluramine), diethylpropion and mazindol. The combination of phentermine and fenfluramine was withdrawn in the 1990s, after a number of reports associating it with cardiac damage. 

Bloch-Salisbury E, Shea SA, Brown R, et al. Air hunger induced by acute increase in PCO2 adrqrts to chronic elevation of PCO2 in ventilated humans. J Appl Physiol 1996 81(2) 949-956. Bloch-Salisbury E, Spengler CM, Brown R, et al. Self-control and external control of mechanical ventilation give equal air hunger relief. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1998 157(2) 415-420. 

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