Malnutrition
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The two types of malnutrition are:
Undernutrition (subnutrition) – When a person’s diet is lacking in nutrients and does not provide them with an adequate amount of calories, sustenance and protein for maintenance and growth. Undernutrition can also occur if the body cannot efficiently use food as a result of an illness.
Overnutrition – When a person’s diet is getting far too many nutrients for the body to cope with. Usually a result of people choosing to eat more food than they need, but in rare cases can be caused by excessive supplement intake.
Malnutrition can affect people of all ages, gender and health, although it tends to be more common in developing countries where there are shortages of food. In industrialised countries however, more and more people are being diagnosed with the condition, with factors such as diet, alcoholism, mental health problems and digestive disorders cited as common causes.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malnutrition is the mos...
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