NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES: A REVIEW

Nutrients like proteins, vitamins, minerals,carbohydrates and lipids are required for the rightfunction of our body. Nutritional deficiency disorders area major problem faced by the world, millions of people inthe world suffer from undernourishment. Deficiencyoccurs when the food we are consuming does not containthe required amount of nutrients or when our body is notbeing able to absorb nutrients due to some geneticdisorders or other secondary reasons. Nutritionaldeficiency is considered as the ‘hidden hunger’ and aperson can suffer from deficiency of vitamins, proteins,minerals, carbohydrates and fatty acids. This reviewdescribes the different types of nutritional deficiencies,their causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention. Thedeficiencies are mostly asymptomatic but in a long timecan very adversely affect the body functions and impairthe immune system and cause chronic illness andinfections. The severity of symptoms and the treatmentvaries from person to person. Poverty and low healthliteracy are the most important reasons for the prevalenceof nutritional deficiencies in the world. However, thesedeficiencies can be prevented by promoting healtheducation among adults, encouraging a healthy and activelifestyle and providing nutritional and healthy food to theones who do not have access to it. Nutrition campaigns,supplementation and genetic engineering of plants andfood crops has decreased the pervasiveness of deficiencydisorders.