Malnutrition
From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history
Malnutrition is a lack of or imbalance in vitamins, minerals or other nutrients.[1]
Types of malnutrition include:
- undernutrition
- when not enough essential nutrients are consumed or they are excreted more quickly rapidly than they can be replaced
- micronutrient-related malnutrition
- deficiency in specific nutrients, for example iron or vitamin B12
- overnutrition
- people consume too much, the wrong things, don't exercise enough, or take too many dietary vitamins or other nutrients[2][3]
Signs and symptoms[edit | edit source]
- unexpected weight loss – clothes, dentures, or jewellery may become loose
- tiredness fatigue, and lethargy, which may include sleepiness
- Depression, anxiety, or mood changea
- loss of appetite, medically known as the symptom anorexia (which is different to the eating disorder anorexia nervosa)
- loss of interest in food and/or drinks
- loss of muscle strength or muscle wasting
- Dizziness
- stunted growth (in children)[1][4][5][6]
Further complications caused by malnutrition include:
- increased risk of illness
- increased risk of infections
- slower wound healing
- increased risk of falls
- lower quality of life
- reduced independence
- reduced ability to carry out activities of daily life[4]
Possible causes and risk factors[edit | edit source]
- Lack of food including starvation
- Poverty
- overnutrition risk is increased by being more than 20% overweight or having a diet high in fat and salt
- Eating disorders
- Disease-related malnutrition - due to reduced dietary intake, malabsorption, inability to eat, increased nutrient losses or increased energy expenditure caused by certain diseases
Treatment[edit | edit source]
- A healthy, balanced diet helps prevent malnutrition
- Tube feeding or IV nutrition, for instance when a patient is unable to eat enough or for diseases like irritable bowel disease or burns that are known to cause malabsorption or increase nutrition requirements[2][8]
ME/CFS[edit | edit source]
Very severe ME can cause malnutrition, for example patients who are physically unable to eat enough due to extreme exhaustion and post-exertional malaise, gastrointestinal symptoms of ME/CFS, or food intolerances.[9]
Diet and nutritional deficiencies[edit | edit source]
ME/CFS cannot be diagnosed until medical tests have been carried out to rule out certain nutritional deficiencies, including iron, vitamin B12, and vitamin D, but these can occur after diagnosis.[10][11][12]
Nutritional deficiencies identified in people with ME/CFS include:
- Lack of dietary fibre in 95%
- unhealthy fat intake in 70%
- inadequate fruit and vegetable intake in 70%
- low intake of calcium, iodine, selenium and vitamin D was common
- low vitamin D levels in 60% of those not taking supplements was found in one study
- low circulating levels of vitamin E were found in CFS patients, but only in lower quality studies[13][14]
- Deficiencies that have been found in some studies but not others include various B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, sodium, zinc, L-tryptophan, carnitine, coenzyme Q10, and essential fatty acids.[15]
A review by Jones and Probst stated that "unhealthy dietary intake [was] not significantly associated with fatigue severity or functional impairment" in chronic fatigue syndrome patients, and found that avoiding dairy or grains was common, and was usually not based on a diagnosed allergy or intolerance.[13]
Notable articles[edit | edit source]
- 2021, Life-Threatening Malnutrition in Very Severe ME/CFS[9] - (Full text)
- 2017, Role of dietary modification in alleviating chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms: A systematic review[13] - (Full text)
- 2017, Vitamin and mineral status in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis[14] - (Full text)
- 2005, Nutrient intake is unrelated to nutrient status in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome[16] - (Full text)
See also[edit | edit source]
- Healthy, balanced diet
- Dr Lapp's supplement recommendations
- Nutritional deficiencies in ME/CFS
- Anorexia (appetite loss)
- Severe and very severe ME
- Gastroparesis
- Cyclic vomiting syndrome
Learn more[edit | edit source]
- Malnutrition - British Dietetic Association
- Poor Nutrition - CDC
- Malnutrition - Symptoms - NHS
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025 - MyPlate and Consumer Resources
- Malnutrition - World Health Organization fact sheet
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Fact sheets - Malnutrition". World Health Organization. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Malnutrition". Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Poor Nutrition". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 12, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Malnutrition". British Dietetic Association. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ↑ National Health Service (October 23, 2017). "Malnutrition – Symptoms". National Health Service. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Malnutrition". MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ↑ Glassford, Julian A. G. (2017). "The Neuroinflammatory Etiopathology of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)". Frontiers in Physiology. 8. doi:10.3389/fphys.2017.00088. ISSN 1664-042X. PMC 5314655. PMID 28261110.
- ↑ "Consumer Resources". Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Baxter, Helen; Speight, Nigel; Weir, William (April 2021). "Life-Threatening Malnutrition in Very Severe ME/CFS". Healthcare. 9 (4): 459. doi:10.3390/healthcare9040459. PMC 8070213. PMID 33919671.
- ↑ NICE Guideline Development Group (October 29, 2021). "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (or Encephalopathy)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:diagnosis and management. NICE guideline". National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
- ↑ Carruthers, BM; van de Sande, MI; De Meirleir, KL; Klimas, NG; Broderick, G; Mitchell, T; Staines, D; Powles, ACP; Speight, N; Vallings, R; Bateman, L; Bell, DS; Carlo-Stella, N; Chia, J; Darragh, A; Gerken, A; Jo, D; Lewis, DP; Light, AR; Light, KC; Marshall-Gradisnik, S; McLaren-Howard, J; Mena, I; Miwa, K; Murovska, M; Stevens, SR (2012), Myalgic encephalomyelitis: Adult & Paediatric: International Consensus Primer for Medical Practitioners (PDF), ISBN 978-0-9739335-3-6
- ↑ Carruthers, Bruce M.; Jain, Anil Kumar; De Meirleir, Kenny L.; Peterson, Daniel L.; Klimas, Nancy G.; Lerner, A. Martin; Bested, Alison C.; Flor-Henry, Pierre; Joshi, Pradip; Powles, AC Peter; Sherkey, Jeffrey A.; van de Sande, Marjorie I. (2003), "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Clinical Working Case Definition, Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols" (PDF), Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 11 (2): 7–115, doi:10.1300/J092v11n01_02
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Jones, Kathryn; Probst, Yasmine (June 14, 2017). "Role of dietary modification in alleviating chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms: a systematic review". Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 41 (4): 338–344. doi:10.1111/1753-6405.12670. ISSN 1326-0200.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Joustra, Monica L.; Minovic, Isidor; Janssens, Karin A.M.; Bakker, Stephan J.L.; Rosmalen, Judith G.M. (April 28, 2017). "Vitamin and mineral status in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis". PLOS ONE. 12 (4): e0176631. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0176631. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5409455. PMID 28453534.
- ↑ Werbach, Melvyn R. (2000). "Nutritional Strategies for Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" (PDF). Alternative Medicine Review. 5 (2): 93–108.
- ↑ Jenkins, Michael; Rayman, Margaret (January 1, 2005). "Nutrient intake is unrelated to nutrient status in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome". Journal of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine. 15 (4): 177–189. doi:10.1080/13590840600681751. ISSN 1359-0847.
