Malnutrition

Malnutrition is a condition wherein the body does not get a balanced diet to stay healthy and perform body functions properly. A balanced diet comprises of a mix of various different food types like carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, proteins and certain fats. Malnutrition can be a result of inadequacy of any of these food types or even overeating of one particular food type. So, not eating enough or eating lot of food low on nutrients (like fast foods) both are causative factors for malnutrition. Obese people are malnourished.

Symptoms

Malnutrition adversely affects body functions in the following ways
Wounds and infections take much longer to heal
Constant feeling of tiredness or emotional depression
It is difficult to maintain the right body temperature, person usually stays cold.

Causes

Various factors causing lack of nutrients in human body are
Imbalanced or inadequate diet – physiological and psychological factors or conditions like difficulty in eating or swallowing following a stroke, emotional depression, eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, movement problems can all lead to inadequacy or imbalance of food intake.
Stomach or intestinal ailments – diarrhoea and vomiting cause loss of nutrients. Indigestion also affects proper absorption of nutrients.
Alcoholism – excessive intake of alcohol can reduce hunger for food and affect nutrition.

Treatment

The treatment for malnutrition is done through diet improvements depend on the severity of symptoms or by a tube directly into the gut or into blood depending on the medical condition of the malnourished person.
Balanced diet – your dietician would chalk out a diet plan which balances the intake of calories, water, vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates. They might add high calorie foods like sugar and butter, more number of meals or snacks during the day and couple it with food and drink supplements. In obese people who already have high fat levels in their body, the dietician may advise differently to balance out intake of various food types. During the course of this diet treatment, adjustments need to be made to ensure that the food balance suits your body type.
Tube feeding into the gut (enteral feeding) – in cases where the malnourished person is unable to eat or drink orally, a special liquid diet is fed directly into the gut through a tube. This tube (called nasogastric tube)carries liquid food from small container through the nose into the stomach or intestine. Tube feeding is stopped as soon as one is able to eat and digest food normally.
Tube feeding into the blood (parenteral feeding) – cases where enteral feeding is not possible, one is advised to have a sterile liquid feed directly into the blood.

Prevention

The key to prevention is taking a healthy balanced diet including all nutrients required by your body in the right mix. Over-eating and binging on fast foods should be avoided. Regular exercise helps maintain the body’s food requirement. Do not smoke and drink alcohol only in moderation. Psychological problems like depression and emotional stress and eating disorders like anorexia can be discussed with professionals and brought under control to avoid getting into malnourished state.