Food and Nutrition

Nutritional Deficiencies and Disorders

3 Nutritional Deficiencies and Disorders: When a person consistently fails to meet their suggested nutrient requirements, they experience nutritional deficiencies, leading to various health complications. These deficiencies pose a significant risk factor for mortality. Despite their clinical significance, the prevalence of nutritional deficiencies in primary care settings remains underreported. The repercussions of nutritional deficits are extensive, encompassing delayed wound healing, muscle wasting, and compromised immune function. Malnourished patients often experience increased medical consultations and prescriptions, prolonged hospital stays, diminished quality of life, and a heightened risk of mortality.

Nutritional disorders stem from inadequate dietary intake, impaired digestion, or malabsorption. They represent a critical yet often overlooked complication of numerous chronic conditions. These disorders arise from a combination of reduced food consumption and metabolic disturbances, contributing to delayed recovery, heightened morbidity, and increased mortality rates. They encompass a spectrum of issues, including general malnutrition, over nutrition associated with obesity, eating disorders, and conditions where nutrition plays a role in disease progression. Both undernutrition and obesity present significant public health challenges worldwide.

Themes covered:

• Macronutrient Deficiencies
• Micronutrient Deficiencies
• Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies
• Subclinical Deficiencies
• Clinical Deficiencies
• Supplements
• Malnutrition
• Undernutrition
• Obesity