What is malnutrition?
According to PubMed Health, the U.S. National Library of Medicine, malnutrition “is the condition that occurs when the body does not get enough nutrients.” While this definition is relatively straight foreword, reading this line alone can contribute to the Westernized myth that malnutrition is a synonym for starvation.
When reading further on in the article it can be seen that, “starvation is one form of malnutrition” (PubMed), and malnutrition as a whole encompasses everything from the lack of all food to the “lack of a single vitamin in the diet” (PubMed). This is the line that must not be taken for granted. Food provides both nutrients and energy. In today’s world there is a rising population of overweight and obese individuals who are consuming enough energy, however this does not necessarily mean they are consuming enough of the correct nutrients to support a healthy body.
Many overlook the paradoxical idea that normal or overweight individuals can in fact be malnourished. This leads to a huge problem today described by Hester Vorster as “hidden hunger, a term used to indicate micronutrient deficiencies in apparently well-fed individuals.” (Vorster 2). Although Vorster used this term to describe a category of malnourished individuals in South Africa, ‘hidden hunger’ is prevalent throughout the world and is a concept I became very familiar with as I visited villages and schools in conjunction with the Common Hope medical clinic.
Overall there are many different forms of malnutrition, each based on the macro or micronutrient(s) missing from the diet. Below are a few of the most common forms of malnutrition.
1. Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) – this is the form of malnutrition most commonly associated with starvation. It “results from a diet lacking in energy and protein because of a deficit in major macronutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins” (WFP).
2. Iron Deficiencies and Anemia (IDA) – IAD is a deficiency of iron in the diet. This is a very prevalent form of malnutrition and often includes the symptom of lethargy.
3. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) – this form of malnutrition is often associated with “morbidity, mortality and blindness among preschool children” (Semba et. al). Vitamin A deficiencies are prevalent in areas without access to “dark green leafy vegetables and orange and yellow fruits” (Semba et. al).
4. Iodine Deficiency (ID) – Iodine deficiency occurs when there is a lack of iodine in the diet. This has “serious impact on the brain, which cannot develop properly without iodine…associated with severe mental retardation and physical stunting” (WFP).
While starvation is a very real and very frightening form of malnutrition, it is essential to realize that individuals of healthy weight can also be malnourished and additionally to note that while sending rice and grains to starving populations does help and does save lives, it does not eliminate malnutrition.
[Overnutrition is a proposed new form of malnutrition, however I will not be considering this in my data]
When reading further on in the article it can be seen that, “starvation is one form of malnutrition” (PubMed), and malnutrition as a whole encompasses everything from the lack of all food to the “lack of a single vitamin in the diet” (PubMed). This is the line that must not be taken for granted. Food provides both nutrients and energy. In today’s world there is a rising population of overweight and obese individuals who are consuming enough energy, however this does not necessarily mean they are consuming enough of the correct nutrients to support a healthy body.
Many overlook the paradoxical idea that normal or overweight individuals can in fact be malnourished. This leads to a huge problem today described by Hester Vorster as “hidden hunger, a term used to indicate micronutrient deficiencies in apparently well-fed individuals.” (Vorster 2). Although Vorster used this term to describe a category of malnourished individuals in South Africa, ‘hidden hunger’ is prevalent throughout the world and is a concept I became very familiar with as I visited villages and schools in conjunction with the Common Hope medical clinic.
Overall there are many different forms of malnutrition, each based on the macro or micronutrient(s) missing from the diet. Below are a few of the most common forms of malnutrition.
1. Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) – this is the form of malnutrition most commonly associated with starvation. It “results from a diet lacking in energy and protein because of a deficit in major macronutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins” (WFP).
2. Iron Deficiencies and Anemia (IDA) – IAD is a deficiency of iron in the diet. This is a very prevalent form of malnutrition and often includes the symptom of lethargy.
3. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) – this form of malnutrition is often associated with “morbidity, mortality and blindness among preschool children” (Semba et. al). Vitamin A deficiencies are prevalent in areas without access to “dark green leafy vegetables and orange and yellow fruits” (Semba et. al).
4. Iodine Deficiency (ID) – Iodine deficiency occurs when there is a lack of iodine in the diet. This has “serious impact on the brain, which cannot develop properly without iodine…associated with severe mental retardation and physical stunting” (WFP).
While starvation is a very real and very frightening form of malnutrition, it is essential to realize that individuals of healthy weight can also be malnourished and additionally to note that while sending rice and grains to starving populations does help and does save lives, it does not eliminate malnutrition.
[Overnutrition is a proposed new form of malnutrition, however I will not be considering this in my data]