Practical solutions for people + planet
Women and Hunger
The headline of that article caught my attention. The piece was just posted on LiveScience: "Scientists have known that male and female mammals respond differently to starvation, with male cells tending to conserve protein while female calls lean toward fat conservation."
"When it comes to keeping brains alive, it seems nature has deemed that females are more valuable then males," the researcher said.
I guess part of the reason this study caught my eye is because I've been reading a lot about hunger and poverty. It's the economic crisis, but it's more than that. People you'd never dream would lose their job have been laid off. Companies are folding. And, well, the news isn't good when we talk about hunger around the world.
In the last two years, the number of people affected by hunger have increased by 75 million. According to UNICEF, ~16,000 children die every day as the result of hunger (and malnutrition). But, even as I look closer to home, Reuters recently published an article about the dramatic increase in homeless families. Lia Petridis (Huffington Post) also recently posted a story about hunger, focusing on New York City.
Not surprisingly, one of the quotes in Lia's story: "Mayor Bloomberg just proposed a cut of $500,000 for food pantries and soup kitchens in the city."
So, why do I post this? All the talk about starvation and hunger and homelessness isn't a happy topic, but it does give us pause to reflect. Perhaps the female body is better able to cope with starvation and hunger, but we are (or should be) on the frontlines in dealing with it.
"When it comes to keeping brains alive, it seems nature has deemed that females are more valuable then males," the researcher said.
I guess part of the reason this study caught my eye is because I've been reading a lot about hunger and poverty. It's the economic crisis, but it's more than that. People you'd never dream would lose their job have been laid off. Companies are folding. And, well, the news isn't good when we talk about hunger around the world.
In the last two years, the number of people affected by hunger have increased by 75 million. According to UNICEF, ~16,000 children die every day as the result of hunger (and malnutrition). But, even as I look closer to home, Reuters recently published an article about the dramatic increase in homeless families. Lia Petridis (Huffington Post) also recently posted a story about hunger, focusing on New York City.
Not surprisingly, one of the quotes in Lia's story: "Mayor Bloomberg just proposed a cut of $500,000 for food pantries and soup kitchens in the city."
So, why do I post this? All the talk about starvation and hunger and homelessness isn't a happy topic, but it does give us pause to reflect. Perhaps the female body is better able to cope with starvation and hunger, but we are (or should be) on the frontlines in dealing with it.
Tags: homelessness, hunger, poverty, women
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Julie on -
I came across Action Against Hunger's website today, talking about women's roles in the fight against hunger.
Their website says (and i could agree with more): "For Action Against Hunger the fight against hunger must include gender equality. Empowering and educating women are key factors in improving livelihoods and breaking the cycle of hunger and food insecurity for coming generations."
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