What is Nutritional Deficiency ?

What happens when you don’t eat a healthy and balanced diet? or what happens when you don’t give your body the required amount of any of the essential nutrients  which it required to stay healthy. The result is Nutritional Deficiency.  An inadequate supply or deficiency of essential nutrients in the diet is known as the nutritional deficiency. Healthy and balanced diet is necessary for the overall well being. The body requires different nutrients to function properly.If the body doesn’t   get the necessary amount of a nutrient from food or if the body does not absorb any nutrient, nutritional deficiency occurs. Chronic deficiency of any nutrient can also result in a disease. A range of health problems can arise from nutritional deficiency.

Forms of Nutritional Deficiencies:

Nutritional deficiencies occur when a person’s nutrient intake consistently falls below the recommended requirement.Nutritional deficiencies can lead to a variety of health problems but  It can be prevented by eating a balanced diet or eating a particular nutrient rich diet which  the body needs more. There are two types of nutritional deficiencies-primary and secondary.

• Primary nutritional deficiency – It mainly occurs because a person doesn’t get enough of certain vital nutrients and it can be resolved by eating foods or taking supplements to provide the missing nutrients.
• Secondary nutritional deficiency – It occurs when the body’s ability to absorb nutrients is limited by a medical condition or illness like celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, lactose intolerance, pancreatic insufficiency and pernicious anemia. Malnutrition due to secondary nutritional deficiency can be more challenging to treat than primary nutritional deficiency.

How to prevent Nutritional Deficiencies?

 To reduce the risk of nutritional deficiency, eat a balanced diet rich in nutritious foods.Crash diet or fad diet to reduce body weight can cause nutritional deficiency because they may lack essential vitamins and minerals.Following  a restricted diet can result in nutritional deficiency because of consumption of improper nutrition.

Types of Nutritional Deficiencies:

There are three main types of nutritional deficiency which are :

• Vitamin Deficiency

The most frequent Vitamin deficiency includes vitamin b deficiency –vitamin b-9(folate ), vitamin b12 deficiency and vitamin d deficiency. B Vitamins helps the body convert food into energy. They perform important functions in the body. Their deficiency can be treated by eating a healthy diet.

• Mineral Deficiency

Mineral deficiency includes iodine deficiency, iron deficiency, calcium deficiency , zinc deficiency , magnesium deficiency. Mineral deficiency can cause anemia, bone density  loss,l loss of appetite , muscle pain and cramps. The extent of deficiency will be based on how much the mineral is deprived.

• Protein Deficiency

Protein deficiency is very common and it is also associated with calorie intake.Proteins serve many functions like giving immunity , wound healing , stabilize blood sugar , build muscle mass.If the diet is deficient in calories than protein will start supplying energy to the body. They perform their functions well if the calorie intake is adequate.Body shows various symptoms in protein deficiency like fatigue, delayed wound healing , muscle weakness, hair loss. The majority of nutritional deficiency diseases can be avoided by consuming a good diet consisting of a variety of healthy foods.

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