From hidden hunger to double burden: Bangladesh's urgent need to prioritize diet quality

Abstract

Bangladesh has achieved notable improvements in nutrition, including declines in undernourishment and stunting. There has been uneven progress, with high rates of stunting and wasting persisting in some areas, such as Sylhet. Food availability has improved, but diet diversity and quality remain low, resulting in chronic micronutrient deficiencies, particularly among women and children. At the same time, rates of overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are rising, signaling a double burden of malnutrition. Combined with systemic vulnerabilities such as poverty, gender inequality, and climate change, this double burden runs the risk of undoing the progress already achieved. Bangladesh needs to reorient policies to focus on diet quality, increase consumption of micronutrients, and prevent obesity and noncommunicable diseases. The primary recommendations include expanding access to nutrition services, developing climate-resilient food systems, and strengthening nutrition-sensitive governance and policy. Other countries undergoing similar changes can learn valuable lessons from Bangladesh's experience, which underscores the need for an integrated, long-term strategy for nutrition and public health.