Bangladeshi food to fight malnutrition named among TIME’s best inventions

A special food supplement named MDCF-2 (Microbiota-Directed Complementary Food), formulated to help rebuild beneficial gut bacteria in malnourished children, has been included in TIME magazine’s list of the Best Inventions of 2025 under the ‘Social Impact’ category.

The food, made from a mix of chickpeas, soybeans, peanuts, and green bananas, has been jointly developed by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) and Washington University in Saint Louis, USA. The project was led by Tahmeed Ahmed, executive director of icddr,b, and Jeffrey Gordon of Washington University.

Earlier, icddr,b was also involved in the development of oral rehydration solution (ORS), which later gained global recognition and has saved, and continues to save, millions of children’s lives around the world.

MDCF-2 is scientifically formulated to activate and nourish the beneficial microbes in the intestines of malnourished children. These microbes play a vital role in children’s physical growth, brain development, and immunity enhancement.

According to the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2025, 10.4 per cent of Bangladesh’s population suffers from malnutrition, and 10.7 per cent of children under five face severe malnutrition. In addition, 3.1 per cent of children die before the age of five due to malnutrition-related causes.

Tahmeed Ahmed told Prothom Alo that malnourished children are 12 times more likely to die compared to healthy ones. He said that MDCF-2 will be consumed by malnourished children and it will function almost like a medicine.

Mentioning that there are two types of microbes in the human gut Tahmeed Ahmed explained, there are some good and some bad microbes. This food blend nourishes the good bacteria, helping them multiply. As their number increases, it benefits the child in three ways- physical growth, brain development, and improved immunity.

The research conducted in this regard between November 2018 and December 2019, compared the gut bacteria of healthy children living in Mirpur slums with those of malnourished children admitted to hospitals.

The study, involving 124 children, used DNA sequencing, with parts of the research carried out both in Dhaka and in Washington. The analysis revealed that malnourished children had significantly fewer beneficial bacteria in their intestines.

Tahmeed Ahmed said, “Our research found that this food blend made from local ingredients is selectively absorbed by good bacteria, but not by harmful ones, which helps increase the number of good microbes.”

Quoting Jeffrey Gordon, icddr,b stated in a press release, “Our decades of research show that gut microbes play a central role in children’s growth and nutrient absorption. The beneficial microbes we have identified help process those beneficial food components that our bodies cannot digest on their own.”

Discussing malnutrition detection methods, Tahmeed Ahmed explained that, apart from weighing, a simple measuring tape can be used to assess malnutrition as well. Marked in green, yellow, and red, the tape measures the circumference of a child’s upper arm.

A yellow or red reading indicates malnutrition, at which point health workers can refer the child to a physician and provide MDCF-2, while also educating the mother about its use, he added.

Tahmeed hopes that MDCF-2 could be provided for free, saying, “Malnourished children usually come from poor families, so we cannot expect their parents to buy it. Our aim is to distribute it free of cost through upazila health complexes and community clinics, reaching even the most marginalised areas.”

The icddr,b also reported that larger-scale trials of MDCF-2 are currently underway in India, Pakistan, Mali, and Tanzania. Researchers hope this innovation will bring a revolutionary change to global nutrition programmes and transform treatment approaches for malnutrition.

Public health expert Mushtuq Husain said, “This food is made from local ingredients. It could become a promising innovation, much like oral rehydration solution. Previously, Bangladesh has also developed rice-based saline using local resources. If this new innovation can be distributed easily at the grassroots level, it could benefit a vast population.”