What causes malnutrition?

    Last Updated: October 13, 2024

    Undernutrition-type malnutrition can be caused by a decreased food intake, a decreased absorption of food, or an increased demand for nutrients.

    A decreased food intake might be due to a lack of available food, a poor appetite, or a medical condition. A decreased absorption might be due to gastrointestinal conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease[1] or gastritis.[2] Other medical conditions can affect the absorption of nutrients as well, especially conditions affecting the liver, pancreas, or gallbladder.[3][4][5][6]

    In some situations there is an increased demand for nutrients. Wound healing after an injury or an operation will increase the energy needs of the body, while burn wounds can increase fluid and electrolyte requirements.[7][8]

    Overweight and obesity are caused by prolonged periods of eating more calories than the body needs and can use. The extra calories are stored as fat. Factors that affect weight and appetite include genetics, physical activity, nutrition habits, socioeconomic factors, and mental health conditions.[9]

    References

    1. ^Massironi S, Viganò C, Palermo A, Pirola L, Mulinacci G, Allocca M, Peyrin-Biroulet L, Danese SInflammation and malnutrition in inflammatory bowel disease.Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol.(2023 Jun)
    2. ^Cavalcoli F, Zilli A, Conte D, Massironi SMicronutrient deficiencies in patients with chronic atrophic autoimmune gastritis: A review.World J Gastroenterol.(2017 Jan 28)
    3. ^Saunders J, Brian A, Wright M, Stroud MMalnutrition and nutrition support in patients with liver disease.Frontline Gastroenterol.(2010 Jul)
    4. ^Wiese ML, Gärtner S, von Essen N, Doller J, Frost F, Tran QT, Weiss FU, Meyer F, Valentini L, Garbe LA, Metges CC, Bannert K, Sautter LF, Ehlers L, Jaster R, Lamprecht G, Steveling A, Lerch MM, Aghdassi AAMalnutrition Is Highly Prevalent in Patients With Chronic Pancreatitis and Characterized by Loss of Skeletal Muscle Mass but Absence of Impaired Physical Function.Front Nutr.(2022)
    5. ^Arundhati Rai, Mallika Tewari, S C Mohapatra, H S ShuklaCorrelation of nutritional parameters of gallbladder cancer patientsJ Surg Oncol.(2006 Jun 15)
    6. ^Boster JM, Feldman AG, Mack CL, Sokol RJ, Sundaram SSMalnutrition in Biliary Atresia: Assessment, Management, and Outcomes.Liver Transpl.(2022 Mar)
    7. ^Laelago Ersado T“Causes of Malnutrition”. Combating Malnutrition through Sustainable Approaches. IntechOpen(2022-05-14)
    8. ^Malnutrition; World Health Organization, cited 2024-09, updated 2024-03
    9. ^Safaei M, Sundararajan EA, Driss M, Boulila W, Shapi'i AA systematic literature review on obesity: Understanding the causes & consequences of obesity and reviewing various machine learning approaches used to predict obesity.Comput Biol Med.(2021 Sep)