Tuesday, September 22, 2015

What Is Malnutrition And Various Facts Associated With It?

Poor nutrition causes deficiency in children’s body that lead to nearly half of deaths and approx.795 million people in the world are malnourished.

People when starve or not get nourished food suffer from malnutrition. Food should contain proper amounts of micro nutrients – vitamins, minerals and more, which are necessity of body.

People facing malnourishment often find difficulty in physical activities, growth, and development of body. For pregnant women malnutrition causes risk in their pregnancy.

Disease and malnutrition are associated with each other. Result of malnutrition can also cause even death. According to the UN's Standing Committee on Nutrition (SCN), malnutrition is the biggest reason behind increasing number of diseases in the world.

Types of malnutrition that becomes the major cause of death every year-

Iron deficiency- This is most commonly found in millions of people worldwide. Iron in body plays an important role of carrying oxygen in the blood. Deficiency of iron leads to tiredness in doing work. Cognitive development in children is also hampered because of the deficiency of iron. According to UNICEF report, approx. 40-60 percent of children aging 6-24 months are suffering from Vitamin & Mineral Deficiency.

Vitamin A- Deficiency of vitamin A increases risk of diarrhea, measles, and malaria. It can also further lead to death. Approx. 20-24 percent of people are suffering from vitamin A malnutrition. According to statistics, 140 million children going to preschool and seven million plus pregnant women suffer from child blindness.

Iodine deficiency- Malnutrition of iodine causes thyroid gland called a goiter, which has affected 780 million people worldwide. It has also caused adverse effects on the brain because for proper brain development iodine is must in body. According to researches, 20 million children are suffering from this deficiency. Pregnant women give birth to children with mental issues like mental retardation and physical stunting because they did not consume enough iodine.

Zinc deficiency- It affects growth and weakens immune system in children. It may also cause higher risk of diarrhea and pneumonia. According to reports, nearly 800,000 deaths per year caused because of Zinc deficiency.

To end hunger worldwide, many organizations have taken world hunger solutions. They ensure children get proper nutrition and proper education.

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