14 Human Nutrition - Part 06 - Nutritional disorders and disorders of digestive system

 


14 Human Nutrition - Part 06 - Nutritional disorders and disorders of digestive system

Nutritional disorders and disorders of digestive system :

  • Nutrition related disorders can be categorised based on the food that an individual consumes and conditions that develop due to malfunctioning of the organ/s or glands associated with digestive system.
  • Inadequate intake of proteins causes Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM). 
  • It can be associated with inadequacy of vitamins and minerals in diet. 
  • PEM can cause diseases like Kwashiorkar and Marasmus.

Kwashiorkar :

  • This protein deficiency disorder is found generally in children between one to three years of age. 
  • Children suffering from Kwashiorkar are
  1. underweight and show stunted growth
  2. poor brain developement
  3. loss of appetite
  4. anaemia
  5. protruding belly
  6. slender legs
  7. bulging eye
  8. oedema of lower legs and face
  9. change in skin and hair colour.

    Marasmus :

    •  It is a prolonged protein energy malnutrition (PEM) found in infants under one year of age. 
    • In this disease, protein deficiency is coupled with lower total food calorific value.
    • Inadequate diet impairs physical growth and retards mental development, subcutaneous fat disappears, ribs become prominent, limbs become thin, skin becomes dry, thin and wrinkled, loss of weight, digestion and absorption of food stops due to atrophy of digestive glands. 
    • There is no oedema. 
    • Major cause of these disorders is unavailability of nutritious food. Poverty, large family size, ill spacing of children, early termination of breast feeding and overdiluted milk are a few causes.
    •  Because of malnutrition, infectious diseases become opportunistic and it worsens the condition. 
    • Proper diet can help in reversal of symptoms.

    Indigestion : 

    • Overeating, inadequate enzyme secretion, spicy food, anxiety can cause discomfort and various symptoms. It is called indigestion. 
    • Improperly digested food or food poisoning also can cause indigestion. 
    • It leads to 
    1. loss of appetite
    2. acidity (acid reflux)
    3. heart burn
    4. regurgitation
    5. dyspepsia (upper abdominal pain)
    6. stomach pain.
    • Avoiding eating large meal, lying down after meal, spicy, oily, junk food, smoking, alcohol are the preventive measures for indigestion.
    Constipation :

    • When frequency of defaecation is reduced to less than once per week the condition is called constipation. 
    • Difficulty in defaecation may result in abdominal pain distortion, rarely perforation. 
    • The causes are, affected colonic mobility due to neurological dysfunction like 
    1. spinal cord injury
    2. low fibre diet
    3. inadequate fluid intake and inactivity.
    • Roughage, sufficient fluids in diet, exercise can help improve the conditions.

    Diarrhoea :

    • Passing loose watery stools more than three times a day is called diarrhoea.
    • Diarrhoea can lead to dehydration. 
    • The other symptoms are blood in stool, nausea, bloating, fever depending on cause and severity of the disorder. 
    • The causes of diarrhoea are infection through food and water or disorders like ulcer, colitis, inflammation of intestine or irritable bowel syndrome.

    Jaundice : 

    • We all associate jaundice with yellowness of conjunctiva of eyes and skin and whitish stool. 
    • These are the symptoms of condition called jaundice. 
    • It is a sign of abnormal bilirubin metabolism and excretion.
    • Jaundice develops if excessive break down of red blood cells takes place along with increased bilirubin level than the liver can handle or there is obstruction in the flow of bile from liver to duodenum. 
    • Bilirubin produced from breakdown of haemoglobin is either water soluble or fat soluble. 
    • Fat soluble bilirubin is toxic to brain cells. Hence serum bilirubin values have great diagnostic importance. 
    • There is no specific treatment to jaundice. 
    • Supportive care, proper rest are the treatments given to the patient.

    Vomiting :

    • In this condition, the stomach contents are thrown out of the mouth due to reverse peristaltic movements of gastric wall.
    • It is controlled by non-vital vomiting centre of medulla. 
    • It is typically associated with nauseatic feeling.

    know the scientists

    • Kamala Sohonie was the first Indian woman to receive Ph.D. in science discipline.
    • She worked under the guidence of Dr. Robert Hill and discovered 'Cytochrome C', the electron carrier in mitochondria from potato.
    • Dr. Sohonie also worked on nutritional aspects of legumes, milk and neera.
    • Her contribution was significant in terms of India's fight against malnutrition. 
    • She had designed a protocol for Aarey dairy to avoid curdling of milk.

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