Malnutrition
kidshealth.org
If you are a picky eater, you might not be getting the nutrients necessary for proper growth and development. But you probably dont need to worry, as over time, most finicky eaters do get enough calories and nutrients to meet their needs.
Everyone feels hungry at times. Hunger is the bodys signal that it needs food. Once weve eaten enough food to satisfy our bodies needs, hunger goes away until our stomachs are empty again.
Malnutrition is not the same thing as hunger, although they often go together. People who are chronically malnourished lack the nutrients needed for proper health and development. Someone can be malnourished for a long or short period of time, and the condition may be mild or severe.
Chronic hunger and malnutrition can cause significant health problems. People who go hungry all the time are likely to be underweight. If malnourished as a child, their growth may also be stunted, making them much shorter than average.
People who dont get enough food often experience hunger, and over the long term this can lead to malnutrition. But someone can become malnourished for reasons that have nothing to do with hunger. Even people who have plenty to eat may be malnourished if they dont eat foods that provide the right nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
Some diseases and conditions prevent people from digesting or absorbing their food properly. For example, someone with celiac disease has intestinal problems that are triggered by a protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, rye, and barley. Kids with cystic fibrosis have trouble absorbing nutrients because the disease affects the pancreas, an organ that normally produces enzymes for digestion.
Someone who doesnt get enough of one specific nutrient has a nutritional deficiency, a form of malnutrition. The most common nutritional deficiency in the world is iron deficiency, which can lead to anaemia.
In many countries, food manufacturers fortify some common foods with vitamins and minerals to prevent certain nutritional deficiencies. For example, the addition of iodine to salt helps prevent some thyroid gland problems, such as goitre, folic acid added to foods can help prevent certain birth defects, and added iron can help prevent iron-deficiency anaemia.
Malnutrition affects people of every age, although infants, children, and teens may suffer the most because many nutrients are critical for normal growth and development. Older people may develop malnutrition because aging, illness, and other factors can lead to poor appetite, so they may not eat enough.
Children and teens on special diets such as vegetarians need to eat balanced meals and a variety of foods to get the right nutrients. Vegetarians and vegans, for example, should make sure they get enough protein and vitamins like B12.
Malnutrition harms both the body and the mind. The more malnourished someone is in other words, the more nutrients that are missing the more likely he or she is to have problems.
The signs and symptoms of malnutrition depend on which nutritional deficiencies a person has, although they can include tiredness and low energy, dizziness, poor immune function, dry and scaly skin, swollen and bleeding gums, decaying teeth, underweight, poor growth, muscle weakness, bloated stomach, fragile bones that break easily, slowed reaction times, trouble paying attention, and problems learning.
Vitamin A deficiency from malnutrition is the chief cause of preventable blindness, and kids with severe vitamin A deficiency have a greater chance of getting sick or dying from infections such as diarrhoea or measles. Iron deficiency in infancy can delay development, cause mental retardation and make older kids less active and less able to concentrate. Teens who are malnourished often have trouble keeping up in school.
Fortunately, many of the harmful effects of malnutrition can be reversed, especially if a child is only mildly or briefly malnourished. If you think you are not getting enough of the right nutrients, talk to your doctor. The doctor may measure your height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) to see if youre within a healthy range for your age, check for conditions that could cause malnutrition, and order blood tests to check for nutritional deficiencies.
Treatment for malnutrition depends on its cause. A doctor or dietician might recommend specific changes in the types and quantities of foods your child eats, and may prescribe dietary supplements, such as vitamins and minerals. If theres an underlying problem causing the malnutrition, the doctor will help you find ways to ensure you get the necessary nutrients.
The best way to make sure that you are properly nourished is to eat a variety of healthy foods and limit unhealthy snacks.
