A ESCASSEZ QUE NUTRE A DOENÇA: DESDOBRAMENTOS DA INSEGURANÇA ALIMENTAR NA SAÚDE GLOBAL

Abstract

The systematic and lasting lack of regular access to quality food in sufficient quantities to sustain a healthy existence is an extremely important problem. Food and nutrition, as fundamental pillars for the promotion and preservation of health, play a crucial role in ensuring the integral development and quality of life of individuals integrated into a society. This research explores the consequences of food insecurity on global health, highlighting the underlying factors, their manifestations and the cascading effects that can perpetuate the cycle of disease. This is an integrative literature review, through a search in the Virtual Health Library (VHL), using the Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS): "Food Insecurity" and "Social Vulnerability", crossed with the Boolean operator "AND". Inclusion criteria: articles related to the theme, freely available, in full text, in Portuguese, published in the last five years (2018-2023). And as exclusion criteria: articles that did not address the theme, repeated in the aforementioned database, as well as abstracts, course completion works, dissertations and theses. The results show that food insecurity contributes to malnutrition, exacerbating nutritional deficiencies and increasing vulnerability to infectious diseases, especially in already susceptible populations. The analysis also highlights distinct geographical patterns, with conflict-affected areas showing higher levels of food insecurity and adverse health consequences. Therefore, an integrated approach is essential to tackle food insecurity and its impacts on global health. Promoting sustainable food systems, reducing structural inequalities and global collaboration emerge as crucial elements to overcome the interconnected challenges. This study highlights the urgency of comprehensive interventions to mitigate the adverse effects of food insecurity and promote health on a global scale.