As soon as the term malnourishment comes up, there comes a figure in the head with a pale look and weak gait. However, one can look perfectly well but still be malnourished. You can be eating belly full three times a day but your meals might be lacking the right balance of nutrients to keep you fit and healthy.
As per WHO’s (World Health Organization) definition of malnutrition, ‘Malnutrition’ refers to deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake, imbalance of essential nutrients, or impaired nutrient utilisation. The double burden of malnutrition consists of both undernutrition and overweight and obesity, as well as diet-related noncommunicable diseases.
Undernutrition manifests in four broad forms namely wasting, stunting, underweight, and micronutrient deficiencies.
This is specifically confined to low-income countries, poor living conditions, in access to food, and extreme poverty. Overnutrition showcases as insulin resistance, prediabetes or diabetes, cardiac conditions, or hypertension with overweight and obesity ruling the overnutrition type of malnutrition.
By and large, the perception flows that if one is eating enough or more than enough, he or she cannot be malnourished.
However, overweight or obese people constitute a substantial segment of malnourished people. If people stick to a particular type of food and are not incorporating variations in their food choices that leads to deficiencies of certain micro and macronutrients as well as hormones.
As this behaviour goes unnoticed under the impression of having a tummy full of food, it can lead to deficiency diseases and disrupted body functioning.
Speaking of urban lifestyle, possible reasons for malnutrition can be limited mobility, typical office culture leading to grabbing on-the-go meals, and medical conditions that can be both physical or mental.
Social reasons include living alone and not feeling like preparing and having meals alone, not having enough time for groceries and cooking, lack of cooking skills, or just not having enough means to purchase and cook meals.
Children and old age people are not an exclusion from malnutrition and they too possess an equally higher risk of becoming malnourished.
The rapidly transformed eating habits of present-day children with an inclination toward higher calorie foodstuffs intake are even at greater risk of malnutrition.
Feelings of tiredness or exhaustion, lethargy, higher tendency for falling sick, increased recovery time after an episode of illness, feelings of depression or anxiety, lack of focus, and weight loss or weight gain can be some of the identifying points for malnutrition.
In children, malnourishment manifests as inadequate physical and mental growth and development, delayed learning abilities along with irritability.
Sadly, the leading upshot of malnutrition is compromised of immunity of the body. But the good news is, once identified and diagnosed through a healthcare provider it is highly reversible through lifestyle modifications and transforming eating practices that are more inclusive of essential nutrients.
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