Without adequate protein, children and teens' physical growth and brain development may be stunted.

A.

True

B.

False

Answer: the answer is true/a

Explanation:

Children who are malnourished-not just fussy eaters but truly deprived of adequate calories and protein in their diet-throughout this period do not adequately grow, either physically or mentally. Their brains are smaller than normal because of reduced dendritic growth, reduced myelination, and the production of fewer glia (supporting cells in the brain which continue to form after birth and are responsible for producing myelin). Inadequate brain growth explains why children who were malnourished as fetuses and infants suffer often lasting behavioral and cognitive deficits, including slower language and fine motor development, lower IQ, and poorer school performance.

A baby's birth weight-and brain size-do depend on the quality of his or her mother's nutrition during pregnancy. Pregnant women should gain about 20 percent of their ideal pre-pregnancy weight (e. g., 26 pounds for a 130-lb woman) to insure adequate fetal growth. This requires consuming an extra 300 calories per day, including 10-12 extra grams of protein.

The answers is True