Black Death victims offer clues to childhood malnutrition and adult disease

What the Black Death Can Teach Us About Childhood Malnutrition and Adult Health

A new study of medieval skeletons reveals how childhood malnutrition shaped survival during the Black Death—and contributed to poorer health in later life.

Medieval Plague Reveals Long-Term Impact of Childhood Malnutrition

A fascinating study exploring the longevity of Black Death survivors in fourteenth century England has shone light on how famine and early life malnutrition can affect health well into adulthood. The research, in Science Advances, reveals the biophysical trade-off made by the body to cope with severe nutritional stress in the womb or in childhood, which may still apply today. While surviving famine increased the likelihood of reaching adolescenc…

Black Death victims offer clues to childhood malnutrition and adult disease

The Black Death arrived on the shores of England in May 1348 and, in less than two years, spread throughout the country, killing an estimated 2 million people. The death toll from the disease, which was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, got so high that officials in London and other cities opened new cemeteries where hundreds of bodies were interred every day.  According to a new study, those who died around the time of the Black Death ma…