Being healthy is everything for a person. If one is able to eat the right kind and amount of food, then he can be sure to stay fit and healthy.
Unfortunately, things do not really go the way it is.
The biggest issue these days is malnutrition. Forget about the pictures and leaflets about starving children and refugees. Forget about the common image of weak and lethargic people. Malnutrition is a condition where a person fails to get enough nutrients for his body to function. Being fat or chubby is no assurance of being healthy. As long as he skips on the daily nutrients needed, then he is quite likely to be malnourished.
Now, how can we tell if a person is malnourished?
There are several symptoms and signs that you can use to determine it.
The most obvious signs that a person is malnourished are weight loss, fatigue, and dizziness. Although there are cases of fat people being malnourished, there are a larger number of people who lose weight when they are not healthy. What is important to note here is that, regardless whether a person is fat or thin, there are several physical and mental signs that can clearly show that a person is malnourished.
The list of symptoms below can be used to judge a person’s healthiness regardless of their weights or size.
When a person suffer from bleeding or swollen gums, which is a first signs of being malnourished. Remember scurvy? It is a bleeding gum disease caused by bleeding gums. It can be easily reversed when a person eats healthy foods again, although the damage becomes permanent when it reaches the gums.
Osteoporosis, fragile bones, weak muscles, or loss of muscles are another sign of malnutrition. It is a sign that the body lacks enough calcium or Vitamin D to maintain the proper functions of bones, and proteins necessary for proper muscle growth.
Malnourished people often have difficulty in their mental functions. More often than not, they tend to react slower and think less efficiently when they lack the necessary nutrients like Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, glucose, and iron. For the elderly, malnutrition can actually cause dementia or memory loss.
Vital organs are also the hardest hit by malnutrition. Heart problems, liver malfunction, kidney failure, weaker lungs, intestinal irregularities, and stomach problems are just some of the signs of malnutrition. For women, an abnormal menstrual cycle could be caused by malnutrition as well. Bloated stomach, or ascites, is another sign of malnutrition caused by irregularities in the kidney, intestinal, and liver organs.
In some people, dry skin is also another sign of malnutrition. Despite the use of creams and lotions, it may not be enough to take care of it. Also, in extreme cases, some might suffer from cracked skins.
These are visible signs of malnutrition, and it can pose a serious threat to our health. In the event that you see signs that you or someone that you know are suffering from malnutrition, getting the expert help of doctors and nutritionists can help reverse the problem.