Health and Hunger: Disease, Energy Needs, and The Indian Calorie Consumption Puzzle
印度人均卡路里消费在经济高速增长时反而下降，本文发现疾病环境改善（如婴儿死亡率下降、卫生条件改善）降低了能量需求，可解释该下降的五分之一以上。
India's experience presents a puzzle at odds with a basic fact of household economics: amidst unprecedented economic growth, average <i>per capita</i> daily calorie consumption has declined in recent decades. Does an improving disease environment explain the calorie decline? A diminished burden of infectious disease could lower energy needs by increasing absorption and effective use of calories. We document a robust effect of disease exposure - measured as infant mortality and as poor sanitation - on calorie consumption. Similar effects are found using multiple datasets and empirical strategies. Disease can account for an important fraction (one-fifth or more) of India's calorie decline.