Malnutrition

What is malnutrition?

Malnutrition means that your body isn't getting enough calories or the right balance of nutrients to stay healthy. This can happen if you don't get enough protein, carbohydrates, and fats, eat too much unhealthy food, or don't get the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

Malnutrition can affect people of all ages, but children, older adults, and people with chronic (long-term) health problems have a higher risk.

What are the types of malnutrition?

Most people think of undernutrition with malnutrition. But malnutrition can refer to undernutrition, overnutrition, or an imbalance of nutrients.

Types of malnutrition include:

• Protein-energy undernutrition, also called macronutrient undernutrition, happens when your body doesn't get enough protein or calories from food. Two serious forms of this are kwashiorkor and marasmus.
• An imbalanced nutritional status occurs when you are not getting the right mix of nutrients. You may get enough calories, but not enough vitamins or minerals.
• Vitamin deficiency diseases happen when your body doesn't get enough of certain vitamins. Without the right vitamins, your body cannot stay healthy and may develop specific diseases. For example, scurvy can develop from too little vitamin C, rickets from too little vitamin D, and anemia from too little iron or vitamin B12.
• Failure to thrive occurs when children don't gain weight or grow as expected. This may be due to not getting enough food, trouble absorbing nutrients, or other health problems.
• Overnutrition can occur when your body gets too many calories or nutrients. This may lead to obesity or other health issues.

What causes malnutrition?

Malnutrition may occur for many reasons, including:

• An unbalanced diet that lacks variety or specific nutrients.
• Some medical issues, which could include malabsorption syndromes, dementia, eating disorders, depression, alcohol use disorder (AUD), or cancer.
• Problems with swallowing, digestion, or dental issues.
• Certain medicines that affect how food tastes and smells.
• Not being able to get food or cook due to things such as chronic illness, mobility issues, or low income.

Who is at risk for developing malnutrition?

Malnutrition can affect anyone, but some people have a higher risk than others. This includes people who:

• Don't have enough knowledge about nutrition
• Don't have access to a variety of food
• Are older adults or children
• Have a low income
• Have a chronic (long-term) illness

What are the symptoms of malnutrition?

The symptoms of malnutrition can vary. You may have no symptoms, but if you do, they may include:

• Fatigue and weakness
• Dizziness
• Losing weight without trying
• Low body weight
• Slow growth or development in children
• Frequent infections or slow healing
• Dry skin or brittle hair and nails
• Swelling in the legs, feet, or belly

How is malnutrition diagnosed?

To check for malnutrition, your provider may:

• Do a nutritional screening, which may include questions about weight loss, changes in your appetite, and your ability to eat.
• Do a physical exam and order blood tests to check for signs that you don't have enough nutrients.
• Refer you to other providers that specialize in nutrition, such as a dietician.

What are the treatments for malnutrition?

Treatment for malnutrition may include improving your diet, replacing missing nutrients, and treating the underlying cause.

Can malnutrition be prevented?

To help prevent malnutrition, eat a healthy diet with many different foods. Talk with your provider if you are worried about your diet, weight loss, or your child's growth.

Metabolic Disorders

Metabolism is the process your body uses to get or make energy from the food you eat. Food is made up of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Chemicals in your digestive system break the food parts down into sugars and acids, your body's fuel. Your body can use this fuel right away, or it can store the energy in your body tissues, such as your liver, muscles, and body fat.

A metabolic disorder occurs when abnormal chemical reactions in your body disrupt this process. When this happens, you might have too much of some substances or too little of other ones that you need to stay healthy. There are different groups of disorders. Some affect the breakdown of amino acids, carbohydrates, or lipids. Another group, mitochondrial diseases, affects the parts of the cells that produce the energy.

You can develop a metabolic disorder when some organs, such as your liver or pancreas, become diseased or do not function normally. Diabetes is an example.

Mild Cognitive Impairment

Some forgetfulness can be a normal part of aging. However, some people have more memory problems than other people their age. This condition is called mild cognitive impairment, or MCI. People with MCI can take care of themselves and do their normal activities.

MCI memory problems may include:

• Losing things often
• Forgetting to go to events and appointments
• Having more trouble coming up with words than other people of the same age

Memory problems can also have other causes, including certain medicines and diseases that affect the blood vessels that supply the brain. Some of the problems brought on by these conditions can be managed or reversed.

Your health care provider can do thinking, memory, and language tests to see if you have MCI. You may also need to see a specialist for more tests. Because MCI may be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease, it's really important to see your health care provider every 6 to 12 months.

At this time, there is no proven drug treatment for MCI. Your health care provider can check to see if you have any changes in your memory or thinking skills over time.

NIH: National Institute on Aging

Muscle Disorders

Your muscles help you move and help your body work. Different types of muscles have different jobs. There are many problems that can affect muscles. Muscle disorders can cause weakness, pain or even paralysis.

Causes of muscle disorders include:

• Injury or overuse, such as sprains or strains, cramps or tendinitis
• A genetic disorder, such as muscular dystrophy
• Some cancers
• Inflammation, such as myositis
• Diseases of nerves that affect muscles
• Infections
• Certain medicines

Sometimes the cause of muscle disorders is unknown.

Neurologic Diseases

The brain, spinal cord, and nerves make up the nervous system. Together they control all the workings of the body. When something goes wrong with a part of your nervous system, you can have trouble moving, speaking, swallowing, breathing, or learning. You can also have problems with your memory, senses, or mood.

There are more than 600 neurologic diseases. Major types include:

• Diseases caused by faulty genes, such as Huntington's disease and muscular dystrophy
• Problems with the way the nervous system develops, such as spina bifida
• Degenerative diseases, where nerve cells are damaged or die, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease
• Diseases of the blood vessels that supply the brain, such as stroke
• Injuries to the spinal cord and brain
• Seizure disorders, such as epilepsy
• Cancer, such as brain tumors
• infections, such as meningitis