Understanding Malnutrition and Treatments
In the developing world, malnutrition is a widespread condition that almost always occurs in people who are undernourished, or do not consume a sufficient amount of calories and nutrients from food. Malnutrition weakens the immune system, impairs physical and mental health, slows thinking, saps energy, stunts growth, hinders fetal development, and leads to infectious disease.
Poverty and lack of access to food are the primary reasons why malnutrition occurs in the developing world. Without a proper diet, the body's ability to fight off sickness is comprised. In turn, sickness and infections such as diarrhea that occur commonly in impoverished areas with poor sanitation accelerate nutrient loss and intensify malnutrition. Every year, 10 million children die from preventable, poverty- related malnutrition and infections.
Some are more susceptible to malnutrition that others. Infants, young children and teenagers need additional nutrients, as do women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. The leading cause of death in children in developing countries is protein-energy malnutrition. This type of malnutrition is the result of inadequate intake of calories from proteins, vitamins and minerals. Children who are already undernourished can suffer from protein-energy malnutrition when rapid growth, infection or disease increases the need for protein and essential minerals.
What are the symptoms of severe malnutrition?
- Studies have shown that malnutrition during the first two years of life causes a child's brain to shrink or atrophy, impairing both mental and physical development.
- Malnutrition affects behavioral development by reducing IQ, slowing motor skills, and increasing learning disabilities.
- Malnutrition early in life also stunts growth. Those who grow up without an adequate diet are commonly short for their
age and height.
- Malnutrition often causes hair to grow in a reddish color and fall out easily.
- Vitamin deficiencies caused by malnutrition lead to vision problems such as blindness in children and night blindness in adult women.
- Malnutrition and infection often come together. Malnutrition weakens the immune system and throws off the body's hormone balances, making it easier for infections to set in.
- Malnutrition children often have bacterial overgrowth in the small bowel, can lead to infection, diarrhea.
- More specifically, infections: reduce appetite, cause withdrawal from solid foods, decrease absorption of nitrogen
and other nutrients with diarrhea, increase metabolic losses of potassium, magnesium, zinc, vitamins A, B2, C, etc. through urine.
- Hormone balances are thrown off. Insulin levels go down. Thyroid hormone levels change.
Malnutrition is highest concentrated in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sub-Saharan Africa. Effective treatment measures have been identified. They often involve the combination of 1) antibiotics, 2) a specifically designed amount of calories each day for weight recovery, 3) and nutritious protein and vitamin-rich diet.
Several past Hunger Reports have explored nutrition and the linkages to health and economic development.
Here are some examples:
