Human body needs nutritious food for development and security. It gets essential nutrients from the food. The nutrients are supporting us in our physical and mental growth. They also protect us from the diseases. Deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake can cause malnutrition in children, women, and others. Therefore, people of all ages need a balanced diet. It needs a proper management system of food security for the easy access and consumption of a balanced diet. Food security is the measure of an individual's ability to access food that is nutritious and sufficient in quantity. It ensures that individuals the active and healthy lifestyles.
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is a physical condition that is caused by the lack of nutrients or excess nutrients. We can be malnourished due to an imbalance between nutrients. It affects an individual in the physical, mental, and emotional development. We also suffer from diseases. Therefore, we need to consume a balanced diet regularly for a healthy and active life.
Causes of Malnutrition
➣What problems does a baby face if the baby cannot get enough mother's milk?
➣Why is mother's milk precious for infants?
Malnutrition is the condition of deficiency or excess of nutrients. There are various reasons behind malnutrition. \/Ve are malnourished due to consuming an imbalanced diet and our wrong eating habits. As a result, the diseases can attack us. The problem of mal- malnutrition can be timely addressed by being aware of a balanced diet and adopting a healthy lifestyle. The main causes of malnutrition are as follows:
➣Malnutrition is caused by to lack of breastfeeding for the first six months of a child and an additional nutritious diet after six months.
➣Inadequate nutrients in food and wrong eating habits cause malnutrition
➣Limited access to nutritious food causes malnutrition
➣Eating the same types of food items is one of the causes
➣It is caused by the dieting practice among teenagers to lose weight
➣It is caused by consuming oily, salty, and spicy food items.
➣The excess washing, chopping, overcooking, overheating, re-heating, and drying lead the nutrient loss. Consuming such food items is also one of the causes.
➣Diseases like roundworm, dysentery, diarrhea, and tuberculosis cause malnutrition.
➣People have junk food and other processed food items having harmful chemical mixtures due to the effect of attractive advertisements.
➣Wrong beliefs and misconceptions about food items also tend to malnutrition.
➣Food scarcity, lack of food security, and lack of food storage also lead to malnutrition.
Types of Malnutrition and Malnutritional Diseases
Study the case below and have a discussion based on it.
A pregnant mother did not get enough nutrients during her pregnancy. There was no supportive environment for enough nutritious food at home. So, she suffered from the diseases caused due to malnutrition. She gave birth to an underweight child. The baby could not get enough breastfeeding because of the low milk supply from the mother's breast. The baby was underweight and under-height according to age. Different problems also appeared in the child such as a thin body, old and wrinkled face, dry and loose skin, and fighting behavior. The health worker advised the parents to make the treatment of Marasmus. They did not take it seriously. As a result, other symptoms appeared in the child such as an enlarged tummy due to excessive water storage, a severe loss of body fat and muscle tissues, diarrhea, and swelling of the face. After that, the child's health was checked and it was treated well. The child recovered gradually.
a. Why were the baby and the mother malnourished?
b. What malnutrition disease did the child suffer from?
c. What are your suggestions to be safe from this problem?
Malnutrition is caused by undernutrition and overnutrition. They are explained briefly here.
Under-nutrition
Undernutrition is a condition of insufficient nutrients in the body. It occurs when enough essential nutrients are not consumed for a long period of time. As a result, the children face different problems such as not growing and putting on weight at the expected rate, stunting, and wasting. Such under-nutrient deficiencies are given here.
A. Stunting
Stunting is a condition of having low height according to age. It has a negative impact on the physical and mental growth and develop- 1nent of the child. It is normally noticed after the age of two years.
If people are stunted by undernutrition in childhood, they remain stunted in adulthood.
B. Wasting
Wasting is a condition of having low weight according to the age of the children. Nutrient deficiency for a short period of time can cause wasting. The children lose weight drastically and it can lead to the death of the children. The diseases related to this type of malnutrition are as follows.
a. Marasmus
Marasmus is caused due to the lack of carbohydrates in the body for a long time. It generally occurs in children under the age of five. Feeding inadequate food for a long period of time and lack of a balanced diet are the causes of marasmus. Infectious diseases such as diarrhea, measles, and roundworm also cause marasn1us. Getting thin, quarreling all the time, appearing old and having a wrinkled face, and dry skin are the symptoms of marasmus.
b. Kwashiorkor
Marasmus is caused due to the lack of protein in the consuming food. The main sign of kwashiorkor is too much fluid in the body's tissues, which causes swelling under the skin. Visible loss of muscle mass, diarrhea, weight loss, enlarged belly, and swollen face are the symptoms of kwashiorkor. It also causes dry hair and easily falls out. The original color of the hair and skin can be lost. Sometimes, red rashes appear on the skin.
C. Maras1nic Kwashiorkor
The condition of having signs and symptoms of both diseases, marasmus and kwashiorkor, is known as marasmic kwashiorkor. The swollen body parts and drastic weight loss are the main symptoms of it. The preventive measures of malnutrition diseases are:
➣The infant should be given exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months.
➣Complementary feedings such as bean soup, meat and fish soup, fruit juice, dal bhat, curry, and super flour (nutritious weaning food) should be given to the infant after six months.
➣ A balanced diet should be consumed regularly.
➣Iodized salt should be used.
➣ Roundworm and other infectious diseases should be treated in time.
➣Vaccination should be ensured for the child.
2. Over-nutrition
➣What kind of malnutrition deficiency is shown in the picture?
➣What may be the causes and preventive measures of this problem?
Over-nutrition is a condition of excessive
nutrients in the body. Over-nutrition is also
not good for health. It invites different problems such as unwanted weight gain and fat
in the body. As a result, it increases the risk
of heart, lung, liver and kidney-related problems.
If we consume high-fat and high-sugar foods, our body cannot use all calories. This extra calorie is stored as fat in the body. This condition of storing extra energy is obesity. Obesity is caused by eating too much but eating too little. Eating junk foods, oily food, fried food items, and sweet food items are also the causes of it.
Obesity causes overweight compared to the average age and height. Breathing problems, high blood pressure, and feeling tired are the effects of obesity. It can be controlled by eating vegetables, fruits, and legumes. It is better to avoid oily and sweet food items as well as processed and packaged foods. It can be addressed by adopting a healthy lifestyle such as regular physical exercise and yoga practice.
Activity 3.2
Measure the weight and height of your friends using a weight machine and measuring tape respectively. Find Body Mass Index (BMI) using the given formula as in the example and ensure their height and weight according to their age.
Formula: BMI is a method of calculating the weight (in kilogram) of the body according to the height (in meter) of a person. It is inea- sured from 18.5 to 24.9. A BMI of more than 25 is overweight and less than 18.5 is underweight. This formula is normally used for adults from 18 to 65 years old. However, it can be applied to teenagers.
If the weight and height of a girl is 34 kg and 1.49 m respectively, then find her BM!.
BMI Formula: BMI = kg/m2
Therefore, BMI of a girl = 34/(1.49)2
BMI = 22.81
The girl has BMI between the range of 18.5 and 24.9. So, she has a normal weight.
Micronutrient Deficiency Disorder
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals needed by the body in very small amounts. However, they are vital to healthy development, disease prevention, and well-being. Micronutrient deficiencies can cause several serious health issues. Night blindness, anemia, and scurvy are the micronutrient deficiencies.
A . Anen1ia
Anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough red blood cells. It is caused by the lower-than the normal amount of hemoglobin. Due to the lack of iron and vitamin B and
C in the body, red blood cells cannot develop and anemia occurs. There is a high possibility of this disorder among children, teenagers, and pregnant won1en. Anemia sufferers feel dizziness when they stand up.
They also feel weak and tired, breathing problems, have irregular heartbeats, have chest pain, and have a headache. The color of the face, tongue,
nails, and skin seems pale or yellow.
To prevent this, children and pregnant women should have iron-rich foods such as liver, fish, green vegetables, beans, eggs, fruits, and millet. If the doctor recommends the iron tablet, the pregnant woman can take it. It is necessary to make regular checkups for children and pregnant women. Teenage school girls may take iron tablets with a doctor's recommendation. If there is heavy bleeding during the period of menstruation, they need to visit health institutions and 1nake checkup. Hookworm can also cause anemia. It should be timely treated.
B. Night Blindness
Night blindness is an eye problem in which a person has poor vision at night or in dim light. This problem is caused by vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A helps the eye work properly. If people lack it, they cannot see well at night and in poor light. They feel difficulty seeing objects in places with poor light. They also have problems with bright light. They can be struck or fall down while they are walking. The cornea becomes dry and seems blurred and swollen.
One should consume food items regularly that are rich in vitamin A to avoid the risk of night blindness. Green vegetables, yellow fruits, milk, and curds are some examples of vitamin A-rich food items. One should take special care of the eyes to keep them clean. Vitamin A capsules should be supplemented every six months for children of six months to five years. Infectious diseases such as measles, diarrhea, and hookworm should be timely treated. Awareness programs should be launched in the community.
C. Scurvy
a. Which health problem has been shown in the picture?
b. Which vitamin deficiency causes this problem?
c. What may be the preventive measures for this problem?
Scurvy is a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C, characterized by swollen bleeding gums. People of all age groups can suffer from this problem. Swollen and bleeding gums, tooth pain and teeth fall out, no appetite, and feeling tired and weak are the symptoms of scurvy. It causes delayed wound healing. The problem of anemia can be seen in the body.
One should eat vitamin C-rich food items regularly such as lemon, guava, mango, orange, amla, and tomato to prevent scurvy. One should take special care of the teeth and gums to keep them clean. Scurvy should be treated on time if any symptoms are seen. Awareness programs should be launched in the community.
D. Rickets
Rickets is caused by vitamin D deficiency. Our body needs an ad- equate amount of calcium and phosphorus for the growth and development of the bones. Vitamin D absorbs calcium and phosphorus from food. If vitamin D is lacksin the body, the body cannot absorb calcium and phosphorus. We can notice different signs and symptoms of rickets. The legs seem bowed or curved. There is pain in the bones of the knees and spinal cord. It delays the growth and development of the body. The shape of the ribs and breastbone seem unusual. The joints of elbows and writs become wide.
We can apply different preventive measures to avoid this problem. We should consume food items regularly that are rich in vitamin D. Yellow portions of an egg, milk, fish, butter, beans, and green vegetables are vitamin D-rich food items. We can also get vitamin D from sunlight. Cholesterol in the skin absorbs the radiation and converts it into vitamin D. Therefore, we need to expose a sufficient amount of skin to sunlight. If we notice a problem in the shape and development of the bones, we should consult the doctor and make the treatment.