Malnutrition

Malnutrition

“Malnutrition” describes imbalances of vital nutrients, excesses or deficits in food intake, or poor nutrient use. The double burden of malnutrition includes noncommunicable illnesses linked to food, undernutrition, and obesity. The four main symptoms of undernutrition are stunting, underweight, wasting, and micronutrient deficiencies.

The definition of wasting is low weight-for-height. It frequently denotes recent, drastic weight loss, although it can also last for a long period. Usually, it happens when someone has experienced numerous or protracted illnesses and/or has not eaten enough food of a suitable quality and quantity. Children who are wasted have a higher chance of dying if they are not treated appropriately.

It is caused by persistent or recurring undernutrition, which is typically linked to poverty, poor nutrition and health of mothers, frequent sickness, and/or improper early feeding and care. Children who are stunted are unable to develop to the fullest extent of their abilities. Low weight-for-age is known as underweight. Stunted, wasted, or both can be symptoms of underweight children.

The lack of vitamins and minerals necessary for the body to produce hormones, enzymes, and other materials required for growth and development is known as a micronutrient deficiency.

When a person’s diet does not include the proper mix of nutrients for optimum health, they are said to be malnourished. Symptoms frequently include fatigue, irritation, decreased appetite, and weight loss.

One of the causes of malnutrition is:

• Poor dietary decisions
• little financial resources, trouble buying food, and several physical and mental health issues

Malnutrition: what is it?

To maintain its tissues and perform its various tasks, your body needs a range of nutrients in certain quantities. When the nutrients it receives fall short of these requirements, malnutrition results. You may have an oversupply of certain nutrients but a deficiency of others, or you may be malnourished due to a general lack of nutrients. Even a single vitamin or mineral deficiency can have detrimental effects on your body’s health. However, an overabundance of nutrients can sometimes be problematic.

What are malnutrition’s types?

Malnutrition can be either excessive or insufficient in nutrients. Proteins, carbs, and fats are examples of macronutrients that may be out of balance, as may vitamins and minerals.

Insufficient food intake

Most people think about malnutrition in terms of undernutrition. A nutritional shortage is known as undernutrition. If you are not eating enough or if your body has problems absorbing enough nutrients from your meals, you may be undernourished. Though it can also be imperceptible, undernutrition can result in the obvious loss of muscle and fat. You can have both undernutrition and excess weight.

Undernutrition in macronutrients

A lack of proteins, carbs, and lipids is known as protein-energy undernutrition. The primary components of your diet are macronutrients, which are the nutrients your body needs to make energy and stay alive. Your body will quickly start to disintegrate without them, or even just one of them. It will break down tissues and stop doing unnecessary things in order to preserve its little energy.

Undernutrition in micronutrients

Minerals and vitamins are examples of micronutrients. Though in lesser quantities, your body needs them for a variety of processes. Due to a lack of diversity in their diet, many people have modest deficiencies in specific vitamins and minerals. A modest vitamin deficiency may not be noticeable to you, but as micronutrient undernutrition worsens, it can start to have detrimental long-term repercussions.

Overeating

In order to acknowledge the harmful health impacts that can result from consuming too many nutrients, the World Health Organization has included overnutrition in its definition of malnutrition. Among them are the consequences of being overweight or obese, which are closely linked to several non-communicable diseases (NCDs). It also covers the potential for toxicity from taking too much of a particular vitamin.

Overnutrition of macronutrients

When your body has too many calories from fat, protein, or carbohydrates to consume, it stores them in adipose tissue as fat cells. However, the fat cells themselves must proliferate when your body runs out of tissue to store them. Chronic inflammation and a variety of ensuing metabolic problems are linked to enlarged fat cells. NCDs such as diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and stroke can result from them.

Overnutrition in micronutrients

Taking too many vitamin and mineral pills might be harmful. To understand how this occurs and how much of a particular vitamin or mineral is too much, more study is required. Micronutrient overnutrition is generally rare and not only caused by food. However, using large amounts of certain supplements might have harmful effects. Checking with your healthcare practitioner first is a smart idea.

What is the impact of malnutrition on the body?

Undernutrition of macronutrients (protein-energy undernutrition) deprives your body of the energy it needs to function. In order to make up for it, it starts dissolving its own tissues and stopping its processes. First comes its bodily fat reserves, followed by muscle, skin, hair, and nails. Individuals who are undernourished in protein and calories are frequently gaunt. Children’s growth and development may be stunted.

The immune system is among the first systems to start to malfunction. Because of this, people who are malnourished are more likely to get sick and get infected and recover more slowly. Healing takes longer for wounds. Additionally, a slowdown in cardiac activity results in a decrease in body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate. Individuals may feel weak, faint, and uninterested in life. A portion of their digestive tract may atrophy, and they may become less hungry.

Micronutrient undernutrition is prone to occur in those who are undernourished in macronutrients. Vitamin and mineral levels are also impacted when total calories are low. Certain vitamin deficiencies are the cause of marasmus and kwashiorkor, two consequences of extreme undernutrition. For instance, a lack of vitamin D can result in soft bones, while a lack of vitamin A might cause visual issues.

Some people may eat a lot of calories but not enough minerals and vitamins. Under such circumstances, the consequences of malnutrition can be less evident. Although people may be overweight owing to macronutrient overnutrition, a lack of minerals or vitamins may cause anemia symptoms such as weakness, faintness, and weariness. Individuals who are overnourished may have elevated blood pressure and insulin resistance, two signs of metabolic syndrome.

Causes

• Restricted financial means.
• Limited availability of nutrient-dense foods.
• Medical disorders that interfere with eating include nausea or trouble swallowing.
• Diseases like cancer or persistent diarrhea can cause calorie depletion.
• An increased requirement for calories, such as in youth, pregnancy, or nursing.
• Depression and dementia are examples of mental health issues that prevent people from eating.
• Examples of eating disorders include bulimia and anorexia.
• Inflammatory bowel disease and pancreatic insufficiency are examples of malabsorption diseases.
• A condition requiring continuous intravenous nutrition.
• An excessively restrictive diet or a diet that someone else has selected and finds unpleasant.

Consuming more nutrients than you require results in overnutrition. This is what you might do if you have:

• Limited selection of nutrient-rich foods.
• Living a sedentary existence.
• One such illness is hypothyroidism, which slows down your metabolism.
• Your hunger and fullness signals are disrupted by an imbalance in hormones.
• Protracted tension.
• Anxiety or sadness.
• Binge eating disorder.
• Excessive usage of dietary supplements over time.

Low food consumption.

Malnutrition can occur in certain persons due to a lack of food or problems with consuming or absorbing nutrients.

This may occur due to:

• Conditions that produce nausea or make it difficult to swallow or eat, such as cancer, liver illness, or using drugs that make eating difficult, for instance
• Malnutrition may also be exacerbated by oral health issues like ill-fitting dentures.

Mental health issues

People who suffer from malnutrition or undernutrition may have:

• depression
• dementia
• schizophrenia
• Anorexia nervosa

Mobility and social issues

A person’s eating habits can be influenced by the following factors, which may result in malnutrition:

• being unable to go to a store or leave the house to buy food
• living alone and finding it physically challenging to make meals, which might lower one’s drive to cook and eat
• lacking sufficient culinary abilities
• Insufficient funds to purchase food

Conditions of the stomach and digestive systems

Even a nutritious diet might not be enough to stop malnutrition if the body is unable to absorb nutrients effectively.

The following are some examples of stomach and digestive disorders that might be the cause of this:

• Crohn’s Disease
• Celiac disease and ulcerative colitis
• ongoing vomiting, diarrhea, or both

Alcohol consumption disorder

Excessive alcohol use may cause gastritis or chronic pancreatic damage. These issues may provide difficulties in:

Digest food, absorb vitamins and create hormones that control metabolism.
Because alcohol has calories, it may prevent someone from feeling hungry after consuming it. As a result, they could not consume enough wholesome food to provide the body with vital nutrients.

What symptoms and indicators of malnutrition are present?

• Low body weight, pronounced bones, and muscle and fat depletion.
• Slim arms and legs and facial and abdominal edema (fluid-induced swelling).
• Delayed development of children’s brains and bodies.
• Weariness, weakness, and fainting.
• Apathy, inattention, or irritability.
• Rashes, lesions, and dry, inelastic skin.
• Loss of hair color, brittle hair, and hair loss.
• Severe and recurring infections.
• Inability to warm up due to low body temperature.
• Low blood pressure and heart rate.

A sign of overnutrition might be:

• Obesity (overweight).
• High blood pressure.
• Insulin resistance.
• Cardiac conditions.

Risk variables

The shortage of food in some places of the world can lead to widespread and chronic malnutrition.

The following, however, are the most vulnerable to malnutrition in wealthy countries:

Elderly people, particularly those undergoing long-term institutional care or hospitalization
Socially isolated people—for instance, because of health concerns, mobility challenges, or other reasons; low-income people; those recuperating from or coping with a major disease or condition; and people who have trouble absorbing nutrients
Bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa sufferers who suffer from long-term eating disorders

Malnutrition: How is it diagnosed?

Protein-energy undernutrition or overnutrition may typically be diagnosed by physical examination and a review of your medical history and diet. A child’s arm circumference or BMI may be measured by medical professionals to gauge the severity of the issue. To check for certain micronutrient imbalances, a blood sample will be taken if at all possible. In addition to macronutrient undernutrition, micronutrient undernutrition frequently coexists with macronutrient overnutrition. If you have similar symptoms, you can also be diagnosed with the uncommon condition of micronutrient overnutrition with a blood test.

What is the treatment for malnutrition?

Your overall health and the severity of your malnutrition will determine how you are treated.

The initial dietary recommendation is often to:

Consume calorie-dense, high-protein “fortified” foods, have calorically dense liquids, and snack in between meals.

Nutritious supplements are used to cure undernutrition. This might be specific micronutrients or refeeding with a high-calorie, customized nutritional mix that will replenish all the nutrients your body is lacking. It may need weeks of refeeding to address severe undernutrition. However, it might be risky to refeed, particularly during the initial days. Your body adjusts to undernutrition in a variety of ways. Refeeding forces it to return to its previous mode of operation, which is occasionally more than it can manage. To avoid and treat the potentially fatal consequences of refeeding syndrome, it is important to start refeeding under careful medical supervision.

Weight loss, dietary adjustments, and lifestyle modifications are typically used to treat overnutrition. Your chance of getting secondary illnesses like diabetes and heart disease might be decreased by losing excess weight. Medication, surgery, and diet and exercise regimens are some of the ways that weight reduction can be treated.

Treatment for a mental health issue or an underlying ailment, such as thyroid disease, may also be necessary. Depending on your route, you might lose weight quickly or gradually over time. The modifications you make to your lifestyle after losing weight, however, will help you maintain your weight loss. This might entail long-term support networks, including behavioral treatment, counseling, support groups, and dietary instruction.

What are some ways to avoid malnutrition?

Malnutrition is a worldwide issue. Poverty and a lack of nutrition knowledge are the main factors in both the developed and developing worlds. Better global knowledge and assistance for the underprivileged, such as access to clean water, wholesome whole foods, and medication, can help prevent and control the disease of malnutrition. Elderly people and children who might not be able to speak up for themselves are particularly vulnerable and may require more care regarding their food and overall health.

Eating a well-balanced diet that includes a range of nutrient-dense whole foods is the greatest method to prevent malnutrition. It is less likely that you will overeat in an attempt to meet your body’s nutritional demands if you are getting enough of each one. Even with a somewhat normal diet, certain micronutrient deficits are frequent. One method to determine whether you could benefit from taking micronutrient supplements is to have a blood test done. You might get assistance from your healthcare practitioner in figuring out the appropriate dosage.

In brief,

Inappropriate diet leads to malnutrition. It may be the consequence of either overnutrition (too many nutrients) or undernutrition (too few nutrients).

Undernourished individuals frequently have:

low weight and trouble getting well after injuries
despair, exhaustion, and loss of appetite, among other symptoms
Malnutrition, however, is not always the consequence of bad dietary decisions. Malnutrition can occasionally happen because a person:

Does not have simple access to food, can not go out to buy food, can not prepare meals, or have a digestive condition that makes it difficult for their body to absorb nutrients.
A major objective for many medical practitioners is to assist patients in treating malnutrition. A doctor and patient can establish more nutrient-dense diet regimens and discuss potential reasons for malnutrition.

FAQs

References:

• World Health Organization: WHO. (2019, November 14). Malnutrition. https://www.who.int/health-topics/malnutrition#tab=tab_1
• Malnutrition. (2024, May 1). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22987-malnutrition
• Brazier, Y. (2023, October 12). Malnutrition: What you need to know. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/179316#treatment