Functional Child Malnutrition in the Brazilian Legal Amazon: Nutritional Vulnerability, Neurodevelopment, and Regional Bioactives

The Brazilian Legal Amazon combines extensive biodiversity with persistent food and nutritional insecurity. In this context, functional child malnutrition, characterized by chronic deficiencies of macro- and micronutrients despite apparently sufficient caloric intake, negatively affects neurodevelopment and long-term cognitive performance. Studies have described several biological mechanisms involved in nutritional deficiency; however, integrated intervention models adapted to vulnerable Amazonian territories remain limited. In particular, there is limited discussion regarding approaches capable of combining multicomponent nutritional support, practical implementation in remote regions, and the potential use of regional bioactive resources within local production systems. This article presents a conceptual proposal based on biological plausibility, integrating nutritional, hematological, and neurocognitive dimensions with standardized Amazonian bioactives. The proposed model should be interpreted as a theoretical intervention hypothesis, and its validity depends on future controlled field studies.