Guest Post by Scott Wrigley, 2025-2026 Sustainability Leadership Fellow and Ph.D. Student in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University
Growing up in the 90s, I remember Beanie Babies, Game Boys, Tamagotchis, dial-up internet, and slap bracelets. I watched shows like Saved by the Bell, The X-Files, and Walker Texas Ranger. I also recall commercials—particularly one for Save the Children, a humanitarian organization helping children facing issues like malnutrition. Those commercials left a lasting impression, and while the 90s have come and gone, the problem they highlighted remains tragically relevant today.
Today, malnutrition is a leading cause of death among children under five, with about 50% of deaths related to undernutrition, defined as insufficient nutrition intake compared to needs. (1). The UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) indicate approximately 193 million children worldwide suffer from stunting (low height for age) and wasting (low body weight for height) caused by undernutrition (2). While the causes of malnutrition are complex, recent research indicates that the microbes living in our gut, collectively known as the gut microbiome, are linked to malnutrition. Studies show that children with malnutrition have an altered gut microbiome compared to healthy peers (3). This altered gut microbiome has been linked to malnutrition relapse, increased risk of infection, and chronic disease later in life.
Current treatment guidelines for malnutrition recommend energy-rich, micronutrient-fortified formulas called ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) (4). These are effective in promoting weight gain and reducing death rates. Even after recovery, many children continue to have disrupted gut microbiomes, leaving them vulnerable to infection, relapse, and long-term disease. Furthermore, producing RUTFs is costly and often involves international shipping, which raises sustainability concerns. Many countries urgently need affordable, locally sourced, nutrient-dense foods to incorporate into RUTFs.
In regions with high rates of malnutrition, white rice is a staple food. It is produced by removing the nutrient-rich rice bran—the outer layer of the grain. This rice bran is rich in amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, providing benefits for both growth and maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. Despite its nutritional value, rice bran is often discarded or used as livestock feed. What if we could turn that waste into wellness?
Previous work from our group has shown that rice bran promotes healthy growth and modulates the gut microbiome (5, 6). Based on this, in collaboration with an outstanding international team of researchers from Indonesia, the Netherlands, and France, we conducted a randomized controlled trial in Indonesia, a country with some of the highest rates of malnutrition (7). This work aims to incorporate rice bran into RUTFs to improve growth and restore the gut microbiome of malnourished children, while making treatment more affordable and sustainable. By transforming an underused agricultural byproduct into a valuable nutritional resource, this strategy may reduce food waste, lower treatment costs, and enhance health outcomes for vulnerable children.
References
- World Health Organization. (2024, March 1).Fact sheets – malnutrition. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malnutrition
- World Health Organization. (2025).Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/teams/nutrition-and-food-safety/monitoring-nutritional-status-and-food-safety-and-events/joint-child-malnutrition-estimates
- Chen, R.Y., et al., A Microbiota-Directed Food Intervention for Undernourished Children. New England Journal of Medicine, 2021. 384(16): p. 1517-1528.
- Saving lives with RUTF (ready-to-use therapeutic food) | Unicef Supply Division. (2022, February 16). https://www.unicef.org/supply/stories/saving-lives-rutf-ready-use-therapeutic-food
- Zambrana, L.E., et al., Rice bran supplementation modulates growth, microbiota and metabolome in weaning infants: a clinical trial in Nicaragua and Mali. Scientific Reports, 2019. 9(1): p. 13919.
- Vilander, A.C., et al., A Randomized Controlled Trial of Dietary Rice Bran Intake on Microbiota Diversity, Enteric Dysfunction, and Fecal Secretory IgA in Malian and Nicaraguan Infants. Journal of Nutrition, 2022. 152(7): p. 1792-1800.
- Weber, A.M., et al., Solutions to Enhance Health with Alternative Treatments (SEHAT) protocol: a double-blinded randomised controlled trial for gut microbiota-targeted treatment of severe acute malnutrition using rice bran in ready-to-use therapeutic foods in Indonesia. BMJ Open, 2023. 13(11): p. e076805.