malnutrition
DEFINITION
Malnutrition is the lack of food and nutrients a person takes in. Malnutrition is not only a lack of food, it can also be the wrong mixture of foods and also over-eating and the resulting obesity.
Malnutrition is the lack of food and nutrients a person takes in. Malnutrition is not only a lack of food, it can also be the wrong mixture of foods and also over-eating and the resulting obesity.
When a person is not getting enough food or not getting the right sort of food, malnutrition is just around the corner. Even if people get enough to eat, they will become malnourished if the food they eat does not provide the proper amounts of micronutrients - vitamins and minerals - to meet daily nutritional requirements. Malnutrition at an early age leads to reduced physical and mental development during childhood. Stunting, for example, affects more than 147 million pre-schoolers in developing countries, according to SCN's World Nutrition Situation 5th report. Iodine deficiency, the same report shows, is the world's greatest single cause of mental retardation and brain damage.
Types of Malnutrition
Kwashiorkor
Kwashiorkor is a result of inadequate protein intake. Symptoms that develop in the early stages of Kwashiorkor include fatigue, lethargy and irritability
Marasmus
Marasmus is a severe type of malnutrition linked to energy deficiency. Children often look emaciated and symptoms include dramatic weight loss, extensive tissue and muscle wasting and also many loose skin folds.
Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa
Although developed countries have a more accessible food supply, this doesn't mean that malnutrition doesn't occur.
Kwashiorkor is a result of inadequate protein intake. Symptoms that develop in the early stages of Kwashiorkor include fatigue, lethargy and irritability
Marasmus
Marasmus is a severe type of malnutrition linked to energy deficiency. Children often look emaciated and symptoms include dramatic weight loss, extensive tissue and muscle wasting and also many loose skin folds.
Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa
Although developed countries have a more accessible food supply, this doesn't mean that malnutrition doesn't occur.