MALNUTRITION(real hunger)

Ugly truth of real India

Nutrition is the intake of food, considered in relation to the body’s dietary needs. Good nutrition – an adequate, well balanced diet combined with regular physical activity – is a cornerstone of good health. Poor nutrition can lead to reduced immunity, increased susceptibility to disease, impaired physical and mental development, and reduced productivity.

many people, particularly children, associate food with pleasure, often forgetting daily nutritive requirements, so that fast food, sugared sodas, and foods rich in fat and carbohydrates become the preferred foods of adolescents and younger children. Overeating and dietary excess have become more and more common, and constitute a real threat to the health of children and adults.

Malnutrition is bad nourishment and can be used to describe both, under and over nutrition.

Malnutrition is a result of poor feeding practices during early childhood development. It can also be made worse by illness. For example diarrhea not only leads to poor appetite but also reduces the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.

There is no actual starvation or deaths from starvation but there is widespread mortality from diseases due to malnutrition

Infants who are not exclusively breastfed are at risk of becoming malnourished, as breast milk provides all the energy and essential nutrients for children under six months of age. It also provides early protection against infections. Breast milk continues to play a crucial part in child’s health and development all the way up to two years and beyond.

Malnutrition is both a cause and a consequence of ill health. We tend to visualise malnutrition as solely affecting starving children in the developing world but it is common at home, particularly in elderly and hospitalised populations and massively increases a patient’s vulnerability to disease.

Symptoms

Malnutrition can happen very gradually, which can make it very difficult to spot in the early stages. Some of the symptoms and signs to watch out for include:

• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss – clothes, rings, jewellery, dentures may become loose
• Tiredness, loss of energy
• Reduced ability to perform normal tasks
• Reduced physical performance – for example, not being able to walk as far or as fast as usual
• Altered mood – malnutrition can be associated with lethargy and depression
• Poor concentration
• Poor growth in children

Risk factor in form of social and physical

• Older people over the age of 65, particularly if they are living in a care home or nursing home or have been admitted to hospital
• People with long-term conditions, such as diabetes, kidney disease, chronic lung disease
• People with chronic progressive conditions – for example, dementia or cancer
• People who abuse drugs or alcohol

social factors

• Poverty
• Social isolation
• Cultural norms – for example, hospitals and care homes may not always provide food that meets particular religious or cultural needs and so increase the risk of malnutrition whilst a person is away from their normal environment

Physical factors

• Eating may be difficult because of a painful mouth or teeth
• Swallowing may be more difficult (a stroke can affect swallowing) or painful
• Losing your sense of smell or taste may affect your appetite
• Being unable to cook for yourself may result in reduced food intake
• Limited mobility or lack of transport may make it difficult to get food

Consequences in children’s and adolescents

• Growth failure and stunting
• Delayed sexual development
• Reduced muscle mass and strength
• Impaired intellectual development
• Rickets
• Increased lifetime risk of osteoporosis

Steps should be taken towards malnutrition

The First 1000 Days of life, from pregnancy until age two, is a critical time for child development. During this time children must receive good nutrition to ensure healthy physical and cognitive development.

To achieve this, we have to work together across a range of issues and sectors.

• Communities need secure sources of nutritious food through markets and agriculture
• Mothers and children need access to good primary health care
• Households need clean water with good sanitation and hygiene
• Schools need to include education on nutrition in their classes, and
• Mother’s need good nutrition before and during pregnancy to prevent low birth weight in babies

Treatment will be discussed in my next blog

Dr. Shivani Bhardwaj