Gut dysfunction, known as environmental enteropathy (EE), affects up to 50% of children in the developing world, and causes no overt symptoms or signs in children.

While EE is known to reduce nutrient absorption and to be a significant contributor to child stunting worldwide, we still have no effective treatment for this nor do we understand why it occurs. EE has been recently highlighted as the single most important barrier to achieving normal growth and development of children worldwide.

HFF has financed part of a three-pronged study to better understand EE and discover interventions to reduce its occurrence. For more information, visit www.medicine.wustl.edu/research.