Relationship between lipid-based nutritional supplements and psychomotor and anthropometric development in malnutrition

Abstract

Malnutrition affects a significant proportion of children aged six to 24 months, causing low weight and shorter height for their age, as well as a predisposition to multiple diseases. It is important because it is during these ages that the greatest changes in children's early brain development occur. When this occurs, delays in motor and language development may result, hindering children from achieving their optimal developmental outcomes. This literature review provides a summary of the evidence on the effect of lipid-based nutritional supplements. The objective was to analyze the effect of lipid-based nutritional supplements on anthropometric, motor, and language development in malnourished children between six and 24 months of age. Original articles and literature reviews in Spanish and English, published from 2019 to August 2024, were included. Databases such as Google Scholar, SciELO, HINARI, and PubMed were consulted. This review demonstrates that lipid-based nutritional supplements improve length and weight for age, as well as motor and language development scores, making them a valuable tool for addressing the described problem.