Table of contents:
- What are the symptoms of nutrient malabsorption?
- What is the impact of the body not being able to absorb nutrients?
- The cause of the body cannot absorb nutrients properly
- 1. Problems with bowel function and damage
- 2. Impaired pancreatic enzyme secretion
- 3. Other factors
What you consume greatly affects your body's health and your nutritional adequacy. However, there are several factors that can interfere with nutritional intake, one of which is if the body cannot absorb nutrients properly.
All the food we eat will go through the absorption process before the body gets the nutrients it needs. This is greatly influenced by the condition of the digestive organs in absorbing food nutrients. If there is a disturbance, there will be malabsorption of nutrients and cause the body to remain deficient in nutrients even though the amount of food consumed is sufficient.
ALSO READ: Signs Your Child Is Undernourished
What are the symptoms of nutrient malabsorption?
Nutritional malabsorption is a syndrome or a group of disorders that causes the intestine to not absorb enough nutrients to flow into the blood. Malabsorption can be in the form of impaired absorption of macronutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrates), micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) or both. Symptoms that are caused are almost the same as disorders due to nutritional deficiencies in general, such as:
- Impaired physical growth (especially in children)
- Weight loss
- Loss of muscle mass
- Feeling lethargic and weak
- Trouble thinking
- Changes in stool too dense, fatty, or diarrhea occurs
What is the impact of the body not being able to absorb nutrients?
Specifically, several health effects can be experienced by someone with nutritional malabsorption, including:
- Anemia - caused by malabsorption of iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid.
- Inflammation, bleeding and mouth sores - caused by malabsorption of vitamin K and vitamin C.
- Muscle cramps in the hands and feet - caused by malabsorption of calcium and magnesium.
- Swelling (edema) in the legs - due to malabsorption of protein.
- Muscle and bone pain - caused by malabsorption of calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamin D.
- Peripheral neuropathy (peripheral nerve damage) - caused by malabsorption of vitamins B1, B6 and B12.
ALSO READ: 4 Nutrients You Are Missing If You Don't Eat Vegetables and Fruits
The cause of the body cannot absorb nutrients properly
The body's ability to absorb nutrients is affected by many things, but usually the condition of the body that absorbs too few nutrients is related to other health problems experienced by the individual. In general, the causes of malabsorption of nutrients can be grouped as follows:
1. Problems with bowel function and damage
A common cause of nutrient malabsorption is when the intestines are unable to absorb nutrients optimally. This is related to several conditions including:
- Celiac disease - intolerance to barley, wheat, and rye cereals can trigger changes in the intestinal mucosa and lead to malabsorption.
- Crohn's disease - an inflammatory bowel condition that triggers malabsorption of macronutrients and water.
- Radiation damage - exposure to radiation to the lower body or around the stomach can damage the mucosal lining of the intestines, reducing its ability to absorb nutrients.
- Parasitic infection - generally a tapeworm infection that not only takes up dietary nutrients but can also cause damage when lodged in the intestinal cavity.
- The impact of small bowel surgery - the operation of course will damage a part of the intestine, so that the intestine cannot work normally and it takes time for the intestine to function again.
- Short bowel syndrome - a condition where the surface of the intestine is too short to absorb nutrients, this can be due to birth defects or the impact of surgery.
ALSO READ: Signs Your Intestine Is Too Long
2. Impaired pancreatic enzyme secretion
The pancreas plays a role in helping absorb fat and other nutrients by secreting enzymes, so that any disturbance in the pancreas will also affect the body's ability to absorb various nutrients. Disorders of the pancreas can be caused by:
- Cystic fibrosis - is a disease that causes a decrease in the enzymes needed to digest and absorb fat.
- Damage to the pancreas - caused by infection, trauma or the impact of surgery on the pancreas that suppresses the work of the pancreas to produce the necessary enzymes.
3. Other factors
Some of the causes of malabsorption of nutrients are caused by factors that are not directly related to problems with the digestive organs, including:
- HIV & AIDS infection - the condition of weak immunity triggers HIV / AIDS sufferers to develop various diseases, especially diarrhea that does not go away, and this can cause malabsorption.
- Drug consumption - several types of drugs affect the work of the intestines in absorbing nutrients if consumed for a long time, such as antibiotics (tetracycline), ulcer drugs (antacids), and weight loss drugs.
- Eating disorders - eating habits that are too extreme and unreasonable eating patterns can damage the intestines and affect how the intestines absorb nutrients.
- Cholestasis - disturbance of bile secretion into the duodenum resulting in malabsorption of fat and other types of fat-soluble vitamins.
- Protein intolerance - can occur in both cow's milk and soy milk, this is because a person does not have enough enzymes to break down the sugar components in the milk.
x
