Malnutrition

Summary

Food provides the energy and nutrients you need to be healthy. If you don’t get enough nutrients — including proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals – you may suffer from malnutrition.

Causes of malnutrition include:

• Lack of specific nutrients in your diet. Even the lack of one vitamin can lead to malnutrition.
• An unbalanced diet
• Certain medical problems, such as malabsorption syndromes and cancers

Symptoms may include fatigue, dizziness, and weight loss. Or, you may have no symptoms. To diagnose the cause of the problem, your doctor may do blood tests and a nutritional assessment. Treatment may include replacing the missing nutrients and treating the underlying cause.

Diagnosis and Tests

• Albumin Blood Test National Library of Medicine
• Chymotrypsin in Stool National Library of Medicine
• Prealbumin Blood Test National Library of Medicine

Patient Handouts

• Beriberi Medical Encyclopedia
• Kwashiorkor Medical Encyclopedia
• Malnutrition Medical Encyclopedia
• Pellagra Medical Encyclopedia
• Pica Medical Encyclopedia
• Scurvy Medical Encyclopedia

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Malnutrition National Institutes of Health

Children

• Failure to Thrive (For Parents) Nemours Foundation

Related Issues

• Iodine Deficiency American Thyroid Association
• Nutrition in Cancer Care National Cancer Institute
• Vitamin B12-Deficiency Anemia National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• Vitamin Deficiency Anemia Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Encyclopedia

• Phosphorus blood test Medical Encyclopedia
• Protein electrophoresis – serum Medical Encyclopedia

Older Adults

• Preventing Malnutrition in Older Adults American Academy of Family Physicians

Journal Articles

• Malnutrition

Start Here

• Undernutrition Merck & Co., Inc.
• What is Malnutrition? Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics