Nutrition demands balance. Too much of anything causes toxicity and too less causes a deficiency. In either case, we can say it is malnutrition. Malnutrition can thus be divided into over nutrition or under nutrition.
Let's take a brief look at 5 diseases related to deficiencies:
Let's take a brief look at 5 diseases related to deficiencies:
- Scurvy: Scurvy is cause by the deficiency of vitamin C in the diet. Vitamin C can be obtained from fruits, especially citrus fruits, guavas etc. Scurvy is the disease of the gums which become spongy. Besides that spots may develop on the skin and the mucus membranes might bleed. It was common in sailors who had no access to fresh fruit and that is why the British army carried limes on board.
- Osteoporosis/rickets: Osteoporosis in adults and rickets in children is caused by a deficiency of Calcium and/or vitamin D: Calcium is important for growth and strength of bones and vitamin D helps to absorb it from diet. Both the disease result in weakened bones and an increased risk of fractures. Rickets may give children bow shaped legs because the bones are not strong enough to support the weight of the body. Osteoporosis is very common in older women.
- Anemia: Anemia is caused by iron defiency. It results in general lack of energy and easily getting tired. Actually, iron is an important part of the haemoglobin in the red blood cells that helps to transport oxygen in the blood. So lack of iron means low red blood cell count which further means that less oxygen is taken up. The less oxygen there is, lesser is the respiration (which uses it to liberate energy) and hence, the person feels weak and tired.
- Beri Beri: Deficiency of vitamin B1 causes the development of beri beri in which the person experiences emotional disturbances, weak heart rate, edema, lethargy, and weakness in the limbs. Beri beri may cause partial pyralsis and even heart failure and death of the condition is not reversed.
- Pellagra: Pellagra is a deficiency disease caused when Vitamin B3 is deficient in the diet and/or the body cannot synthesize it from protein because of lack of protein in diet. It is characterized by reddish skin lesions, aggressive behaviour, insominia, ataxia, diarrhea and glossitis. People with pellagra may also be hypersensitive to sunlight.