Signs & Symptoms of Poor Nutrition

Foods contain nutrients, the nourishing substances that give your body materials and information it needs to function well. Missing out on important nutrients can have a detrimental effect on metabolic processes occurring in your body. In contrast, getting too much food or food that gives your body wrong signals, such as processed foods, can make you overweight and undernourished at the same time. Furthermore, high consumption of unhealthy foods raises your risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.

Fragile Immune System

Poor nutrition can cause deficiencies in certain micronutrients that help boost your immunity and insufficient intake of macronutrients and energy. Such nutrient deficiencies can turn off immune responses. Because of the impaired immune system, you are more likely to develop infection and illness, which together can aggravate states of malnutrition by decreasing nutrient absorption, encouraging nutrient loss and changing the metabolism of your body.

Wildly Swinging Blood Sugar Levels

Eating a diet that falls short of vital nutrients can upset the mechanisms that manage your sugar levels, leading to hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. Hypoglycemia means low blood sugar, whereas hyperglycemia signifies high blood sugar. Lack of nutritious foods and skipping meals can result in hypoglycemia. You may experience hypoglycemic symptoms such as headache, excessive sweating, dizziness, depression, fatigue and blurred vision. On the other hand, eating too much food can cause hyperglycemia. Symptoms of hyperglycemia include excessive thirst, high blood glucose, frequent urination and high sugar levels in the urine.

Unwanted Fat

Obesity is not something that happens overnight -- it develops slowly from poor dietary and lifestyle choices. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, studies in teen and adults showed that regular consumption of fast foods leads to weight gain and obesity. Similarly, evidence suggests that foods such as sugar-sweetened beverages and refined grains multiply the risk of weight gain, obesity and diabetes. The Harvard School of Public Health further says that incorporating whole grains, fruits and vegetables into your diet can help maintain a stable weight. This is because their fiber content slows digestion and helps keep hunger at bay.

Deteriorating Mental Health

According to an article in the April-June 2008 issue of “Indian Journal of Psychiatry,” diets of people suffering from mental disorders -- depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder -- lack critical nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids. The study further states that making poor food choices might contribute to depression, which is characterized by depressed mood, loss of appetite and increased sadness and anxiety. Deficiencies in neurotransmitters -- brain chemicals that transit information from one neuron to another -- such as gamma-aminobutyric acid, noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin can lead to depression. People with mental illness usually suffer from deficiencies in common nutrients such as B vitamins, minerals, amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids. These nutrients are precursors to neurotransmitters.

Deficiency Symptoms and Signs
Symptom or Sign	Possible Nutritional Deficiency
General Symptoms and Appearance
Fatigue	Protein-energy, iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamins B1, B12 and other B vitamins and vitamin C
Loss of appetite	Zinc
Pica eating non-nutritive substances	General malnutrition and possibly iron, calcium, zinc, vitamins B1 – thiamine, B3 – niacin, C and D
Loss of taste	Zinc
Cold intolerance	Iron
Pale appearance due to anaemia	Iron, folate and vitamin B12
Carotenoderma – yellow discolouration of the skin noticeable on the face and trunk	Protein-energy and zinc
Diffuse hyperpigmentation	Protein-energy
Muscle wasting e.g. clothes appear too big, loss of limb musculature	Protein-energy
Loss of height and excessive curvature of the spine	Calcium and vitamin D
Skin
Itchy skin – pruritus	Iron
Dry skin	Essential Fatty Acids or multiple nutritional deficiencies
Red scaly skin in light-exposed areas	Vitamin B3
Excessive bruising	Vitamin C
Haemorrhage or redness around hair follicles	Vitamin C
Bleeding into a joint or other unusual bleeding	Vitamin C
Plugging of hair follicles with keratin or coiled hairs	Vitamin C
Fine downy hair on torso – lanugo	Protein-energy. Typical of Persistent anorexia nervosa
Mouth
Sore tongue	Iron, vitamin B12, B2, B3 and possibly other B vitamins
Cracking and peeling of skin on the lips	Vitamin B2 – riboflavin
Cracking at the corners of the mouth	Iron, vitamin B2 – riboflavin possibly other B vitamins
Recurrent mouth ulcers	Iron, vitamin B12, folate and possibly other B vitamins
Enlarged veins under the tongue with micro-haemorrhages	Vitamin C
Smooth, shinny and sore tongue: atrophic glossitis	Iron, vitamin B12 and folate
Head, Face and Neck
Scalp hair loss	Iron
Dandruff	Essential fatty acids and biotin
Redness at the sides of the nose	Vitamin B2 –riboflavin, vitamin B6 and zinc
Redness or cracking at the outer angle of the eyes	Vitamins B2 or B6
Goitre	Iodine deficiency is likely if goitre is present in > 20% of population – endemic goitre
Hands and Nails
Nails - brittle or flaking	Ironand possibly essential fatty acids
Nails - upturned or spoon-shaped nails	Iron
Carotenoderma – yellow discolouration of the skin noticeable on the palms	Protein-energy and zinc
Musculo-skeletal
Muscle pains and cramps	Magnesium, potassium, sodium, vitamin B1 and vitamin D if there is hypocalcaemia
Calf muscle pain after minimal exercise	Vitamin B1 – thiamine
Excessive calf muscle tenderness	Vitamin B1- thiamine
Walking with a waddling gait	Vitamin D and resultant myopathy
Difficulty getting up from a low chair or climbing the stairs or weakness of shoulder muscles	Vitamin D and resultant myopathy
Bowed legs	Vitamin D - rickets in childhood
Twitching of facial muscles when tapping on the facial nerve in front of the ear: Chvostek’s sign	Calcium and vitamin D if hypocalcaemia or severe magnesium deficiency
Eyes
Poor night vision	Zinc, vitamin A and possibly vitamin B2 - riboflavin
Conjunctival dryness	Vitamin A
Gastrointestinal
Diarrhoea	Vitamin B3
Constipation	Dehydration, fibre, potassium, magnesium and folate
Neurological
Restless legs	Iron or folate
Burning feet syndrome	Vitamin B2 –riboflavin
Loss of balance when standing upright with feet together and the eyes closed: Romberg’s test	Vitamin B12 and possibly vitamin B3
Loss of vibration sensation in the lower limbs	Vitamin B12 and possibly vitamin B3
Peripheral neuropathy – numbness, tingling, disordered sensation, pain and or weakness in the hands or feet	Vitamins B1, B12 and possibly B3, B6 and folate and very rarely copper (following gastrointestinal surgery or excess zinc ingestion). Relative lack of essential fatty acids.
Unsteady movement or walking (cerebellar ataxia)	Vitamin B1, vitamin E and Coenzyme Q10
Mental State
Depression	Vitamins C, B1, B3, B6, B12, folate, biotin and possibly the essential fatty acids
Irritability	Folate
Poor concentration	Iron, vitamins B1, B12, folate and possibly essential fatty acids
Cardio-vascular
Heart failure	Vitamin B1 – thiamin and any deficiency causing anaemia
Palpitations	Potassium and magnesium and any deficiency causing anaemia

Sources: http://www.livestrong.com/, http://www.stewartnutrition.co.uk/

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