In the Western world, good, clean food is in ready supply, and there is no real reason why anyone of us should suffer from malnutrition - which is the result of inadequate nutritional intake. However, failure to understand the changing needs of our bodies, for instance, in pregnancy, illness, and as we grow older, land the dismaying lack of nutrition available in our food due to environmental factors, means that cases of malnutrition are on the increase in richer countries. The great Western diet has come up short for many people.
The links between diet and disease are not fully understood as yet, but we do know that malnutrition can cause pathological illness affecting all parts of the body. Some of the most common effects of malnutrition are:
- heart disease and circulatory problems as a result of obesity
- normal headaches or migraine
- night blindness, from a vitamin A deficiency
- bleeding gums, loose teeth and general fatigue resulting from a lack of vitamin C (the body does not store vitamin C and daily requirements vary from person to person)
- anemia from insufficient iron
- lack of motor function in the legs, painful feet, numbness, lesions in the spinal cord, and neurological disease, may all be the result of vitamin B deficiency
- digestive disorders, including diarrhea, nausea, cramps, IBS, pain, and piles, may be a result of inadequate diet
- rashes, itching, allergies, sensitivities and other skin problems may be the result of vitamin deficiencies
- loss of hair, or dry, dull hair reflects deficiency in some area of the diet
- insufficient fluid causes stones to form in the kidneys; excess fat causes them to form in the gallbladder (gallstones)
- enlargement of the thyroid may be the result of an iodine deficiency
- defective bone growth in children due to lack of vitamin D, a component of fish, milk, and eggs
- softening of the bones and early osteoporosis may be a result of a calcium and vitamin D deficiency, becoming increasingly common in the West where they are in adequate supply.
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