The German Nutrition Center reports that poor nutrition means the body lacks some important minerals, vitamins and proteins, such as iron, magnesium and vitamin B12.
He explained that malnutrition has several causes, most notably unhealthy nutrition (processed foods and finished products), unilateral feeding and some diseases such as chronic bowel diseases.
Other causes of malnutrition include aging, increased need for nutrients in certain life periods such as pregnancy and lactation, as well as for athletes, excessive coffee and sweets, in addition to heavy smoking.
Some medications may prevent proper absorption of nutrients. Psychological stress, such as sadness and stress, may also cause malnutrition. Since it leads to loss of appetite and stomach and intestinal troubles.
The general symptoms of malnutrition are the persistent feeling of tiredness and fatigue, decreased ability to exert effort, poor concentration, headache and dizziness.
There are also characteristic symptoms of deficiency in each individual component such as pallor of the face, hair loss and nail breakage in the case of iron deficiency, sleep and nervous disorders and muscle cramps in the event of a magnesium deficiency and a decline in muscle mass in the event of a lack of proteins, tingling and numbness in the extremities in the event of a vitamin B12 deficiency.
And when noticing these symptoms, a therapeutic dietitian should be consulted to tackle malnutrition, through a healthy and balanced diet, with the possibility of resorting to nutritional supplements if necessary.