Define and differentiate between malnutrition, undernutrition and overnutrition. Detail the common diseases/afflictions that accompany both.
Undernourished Child
Malnutrition occurs when a body does not receive the nutrients it needs to function. This is most commonly caused by having an unbalanced or insufficient diet, often leading to starvation. It is especially prominent among young children in poverty stricken areas. Deficiencies in vitamins essential for humans cause diseases such as anaemia, kwashiorkor, marasmus, and goiter. Anaemia is an iron deficiency that delays brain development. Children with anaemia have a higher chance for catching diseases and suffer from many complications as they progress through life. Kwashiorkor results in a person receiving enough calories, but not enough protein, causing fluid retention. Marasmus occurs when a person has both a calorie and protein deficiency, often made noticeable by their extremely thin bodies. Goiter is an iron deficiency and results in a swelling of thyroid glands, and often times mental retardation. Vitamin A or D deficiencies can lead to blindness or bone deformities. When people suffer from undernutrition, their bodies don’t grow or function normally. Women suffer from infertility and the inability to produce milk for their children, leading their offsprings to malnutrition as well. Bodies lose resistance to diseases and infections, which might lead to HIV/AIDS, diarrhea, and malaria, often times leading directly to death. Another type of malnutrition is overnutrition, when the body consumes too much for it handle. Overnutrition is most commonly tied to obesity and leads to various deficiencies such as Hyper-Vitaminosis A, D, and an overload of iron. Overloading on iron creates large deposits of iron the liver, causing diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, constipation.