What are the causes of malnutrition?
Undernutrition is usually caused by not eating enough nutrients. It can also be caused by certain medical conditions that prevent your body from absorbing nutrients.
You might have trouble getting enough nutrients if you have:
Limited financial resources.
Limited access to nutritious foods.
Medical conditions that make eating difficult, such as nausea or difficulty swallowing.
Medical conditions that deplete calories, such as chronic diarrhea or cancer.
An extra need for calories, such as during pregnancy, breastfeeding or childhood.
Mental health conditions that discourage eating, such as depression or dementia.
Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.
Malabsorption disorders such as pancreatic insufficiency or inflammatory bowel disease.
A condition that requires long-term intravenous feeding.
A very restricted diet or an unappealing diet chosen by someone else.
Overnutrition is caused by consuming more nutrients than you need. You might do this if you have:
Few nutritious food options.
A sedentary lifestyle.
A condition that slows down your metabolism, such as hypothyroidism.
A hormone imbalance that interferes with your hunger and fullness signals.
Chronic stress.
Anxiety or depression.
Binge eating disorder.
Chronic overuse of dietary supplements.
Diagnosis and Tests
How is malnutrition diagnosed?
Physical observation and a history of your diet and health conditions are often enough to diagnose protein-energy undernutrition or overnutrition. Healthcare providers may measure your BMI or measure a child’s arm circumference to help understand the extent of the problem. If possible, they will take a blood sample to test for specific micronutrient imbalances. Micronutrient undernutrition often accompanies macronutrient undernutrition, and it can accompany macronutrient overnutrition too. A blood test will also diagnose the rare case of micronutrient overnutrition if you have those symptoms.
