6 diseases caused by food deficiency

 WHAT IS FOOD? 

Food are the things we eat that helps our body to grow and be in shape. It is essential for human. It could be plants, animals and/or fruits. 

 WHAT IS DEFICIENCY? 

Deficiency means shortage or the state of not having: lack or not having enough of something that is essential to one. It becomes a weakness in somebody that makes him less successful. 

WHAT FOOD DEFICIENCY MEANS 

Therefore, food deficiency is the lack of food received by the body to enable it function properly. It is the lack of nutrients required for the body i.e when an individual does not get an abundance of nutrients in the body. 

The following diseases caused by food deficiency are as follows :

1) Kwashiorkor : Also known as protein malnutrition is a disease caused by the intake of too much of carbohydrate, that is, lacking in taking adequate food that consists of protein and other essential vitamins and minerals. 

Kwashiorkor according to dictionary.com, is a malnutrition disease, chiefly of children, caused by severe protein and vitamin deficiency and characterized by retarded growth, changes in pigmentation, potbelly, and anemia. 

It is a severe disease that occurs in children between the ages of one year and five years old. 

It was translated as "the sickness a baby suffers when the new baby comes" or "the disease of the deposed child". 

For any children to survive or escape this disease, much intake of vitamins and minerals should outweigh the intake of carbohydrate. 

2) Anemia : This disease is caused by shortage of red blood cell in the body. It is caused by lack or inadequate iron in the body.

This disease occurs in every age of human development whether children, teenage, adult or old. Although, research has proven it to be common in women; due to blood loss from menstruation and women or older women with fibroid and especially pregnant women. 

Men and most importantly women of different age and size should ensure they take enough multivitamin and iron-rich food like beans, seafood, cereals, liver etc. and fruits. 

3) Scurvy : This is a disease caused by lack of vitamin C in the body. And if care is not taken or diagnosed earlier, it could lead to mental disorders and drunken habit among others. This disease tends to occur in infants and older people who live alone on their own but is rare adult and children. 

Although, this disease is rare in modern life. It could however lead to poor wound healing, personality changes and death from infection or bleeding. 

A woman who has just given birth to a baby should ensure to drink sufficient milk and to give her baby enough breast milk. 

People should try as much as possible to include enough fruits and vegetables in their daily food to prevent this kind of disease. Fruits such as lemons, limes, oranges, papaya and strawberries and vegetables such as brussels sprout, cabbage, spinach and parsley should be taken at all times. 

4) Rickets : This is caused by lack of vitamin D in the body which can result from eating a diet without enough vitamin D. The bone become weak and cannot carry the body weight due to inadequate vitamin D in the body. 

If left unattended, it could result in having dark skin, liver disorder, kidney problems, failure to grow properly, curved spine, bone deformities and disease of the small intestine. This disease is open to young children who lack the intake of vitamin D. 

Intake of calcium and vitamin D should be much in their diet to prevent this. Vitamin D ensures that serum phosphate and calcium levels are sufficient to facilitate the bone of the body. 

Enough cod liver oil, halibut-liver oil and viosterol should be taken. 

5) Beriberi : This which is also known as Thiamine deficiency is caused by lack of vitamin B in the body. This disease occurs in adults and they are in two which are dry and wet beriberi and babies 

It can affect the cardiovascular system and could lead to difficulty in walking, difficulty in speech, heart failure, muscle paralysis and loss of muscle in adult and loss of appetite and vomiting in babies. The babies are affected due to their malnourished mothers. The adult on the other hand are affected due to alcohol. 

To prevent this kind of disease, foods such as fish, yogurt whole-grain, milk and milk products, fruits and vegetables should be taken by adults: male and mothers. 

6) Night blindness : This is a disease caused by lack of vitamin A. It affects the sight or vision of a person whereby the person cannot see clearly at night. Inadequate vitamin A could lead to cataract or glaucoma both in young and old. 

Walking or driving at night becomes a problem for people with such a disease as they tend to have trouble seeing objects and the inability to see the sky, especially the stars 

To prevent this, ensure you take a lot of yeast and vitamin A-rich food such as carrots, potatoes, fish and dairy products.

Note: When you feel the above mentioned deficiencies, it is advisable to see a doctor. However, taking adequate vitamins and minerals should help prevent or reduce the diseases caused by food.