Malnutrition involves a dietary deficiency. People may eat too much of the wrong type of food and have malnutrition, but this article will focus on undernutrition, when a person lacks nutrients because they do not consume enough food.

Poor diet may lead to a lack of vitamins, minerals, and other essential substances. Too little protein can lead to kwashiorkor, symptoms of which include a distended abdomen. A lack of vitamin C can result in scurvy.

Scurvy is rare in industrialized nations, but it can affect older people, those who consume excessive quantities of alcohol, and people who do not eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Some infants and children who follow a limited diet for any reason may be prone to scurvy.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 462 million people worldwide are malnourished, and stunted development due to poor diet affects 159 million children globally.

Malnutrition during childhood can lead not only to long-term health problems but also to educational challenges and limited work opportunities in the future. Malnourished children often have smaller babies when they grow up.

It can also slow recovery from wounds and illnesses, and it can complicate diseases such as measles, pneumonia, malaria, and diarrhea. It can leave the body more susceptible to disease.

Malnutrition manifests itself as both over- and under-nutrition, and is currently not diagnosed and treated in time. It leads to serious health problems, including the estimated 60 percent of cardiovascular deaths. Researchers suggest that an accurate training of healthcare professionals may be at the heart of solving this problem.  If malnutrition was treated in time, especially from childhood or earlier adulthood many diseases of cardiac to diabetes II to obesity itself with the side effects it caused to other organs.  I could go on about different diseases but cardiac is an important one since the engine to the body is our heart (the size of your fist).

People only look at nutrients as a number, but not as something with nutritional value. They do not consider the food matrix nor biological function.

Applying nutrition into life deals with the relationship between nutrition and the health and wellbeing of a person to even a population.  Take U.S.A. we are the highest with Obesity.  In U.S.A., look how much emphasis is put on fast food selling or advertising alone and we the people over 50% fall for it and if not daily just too much.  Look at disease in this country that could be avoided due to obesity the cause for other diseases in an individual.  Which by the way didn’t happen over night.  Nobody puts  a magnum-45 to someone’s head to walk into McDonald’s or Wendy’s or KOC with many other fast food companies in U.S.A (that have flown in numbers in other countries) to order there food.  Like alcohol for some the person gets addicted to this kind of food.  To change you need the inspiration to want to with the discipline to do so.

There is another disorder Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is newly-recognized and is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating that occur twice weekly or more for a period of at least six months. During bingeing, a larger than normal amount of food is consumed in a short time frame and the person engaging in the bingeing behavior feels a lack of control over the eating.

In BED, bingeing episodes are associated with at least three characteristics such as eating until uncomfortable, eating when not physically hungry, eating rapidly, eating alone for fear of being embarrassed by how much food is being consumed, or feeling disgusted, depressed or guilty after the episode of overeating. These negative feelings may in turn trigger more bingeing behavior. In addition, although BED behaviors may cause distress by those affected, it is not associated with inappropriate compensatory behaviors such as those found in Bulimia Nervosa or Anorexia Nervosa. Therefore, people with BED often present as either overweight or obese because they consume so many extra calories.

Take the opposite,  Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by weight loss (or lack of appropriate weight gain in growing children); difficulties maintaining an appropriate body weight for height, age, and stature; and, in many individuals, distorted body image. People with anorexia generally restrict the number of calories and the types of food they eat. Some people with the disorder also exercise compulsively, purge via vomiting and laxatives, and/or binge eat.

Anorexia can affect people of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, races, and ethnicities. Historians and psychologists have found evidence of people displaying symptoms of anorexia for hundreds or thousands of years.

Bulimia nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by a cycle of bingeing and compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting designed to undo or compensate for the effects of binge eating.

• Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g. within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances.
• A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g. a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).
• Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behavior in order to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications, fasting, or excessive exercise.
• The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors both occur, on average, at least once a week for three months.
• Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight.
• The disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes of anorexia nervosa.

Instead of going on and on with diseases here is what you eat to resolve the malnutrition (either eating too much or not enough).  So eat the following in moderate amounts:

Beyond the Table is about growing your food, distributing food, purchasing food at the grocery store or farmers market, and how you treat the food at home. It focuses on food safety and storage of the foods you eat.

• Food safety is always a good idea. The old saying an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is the best way to view the importance of food safety. Making sure foods are stored at the correct temperature and cooked at the appropriate temperature for the correct amount of time is important to prevent food poisoning. An easy way to monitor food safety in your pantry or fridge is by logging on to FoodSafety.gov. It can be accessed from your PC or an app on your phone.
• Shopping for food at the grocery store or farmers’ market is how we often purchase food for home use. Farmer’s Markets offer a great way of getting food from farm to table. Check out resources listing Tucson farmers markets and your area.
• Growing food in the desert can be challenging yet rewarding.
• Cooking skills that will enhance your food budget and possibly give you a new life skill can be found through culinary classes or invest in a basic skills cookbook if you are a beginner making your own healthy foods.
• Grocery lists make it easier to shop when you plan meals for the week. They can also help you stay on track when shopping for food.

“Someone in the world develops dementia every 3 seconds. There are over 55 million people worldwide living with dementia in 2020. This number will almost double every 20 years, reaching 78 million in 2030 and 139 million in 2050. Much of the increase will be in developing countries. Already 60% of people with dementia live in low and middle income countries, but by 2050 this will rise to 71%. The fastest growth in the elderly population is taking place in China, India, and their south Asian and western Pacific neighbors.

Demographic ageing is a worldwide process that shows the successes of improved health care over the last century. Many are now living longer and healthier lives and so the world population has a greater proportion of older people. Dementia mainly affects older people, although there is a growing awareness of cases that start before the age of 65.

There are over 10 million new cases of dementia each year worldwide, implying one new case every 3.2 seconds.”

Alzheimer’s Disease International (https://www.alzint.org/about/dementia-facts-figures/dementia-statistics/)

“Tests and procedures used for colon/rectal cancer diagnosis include:

• Using a scope to examine the inside of the colon. Colonoscopy uses a long, flexible and slender tube attached to a video camera and monitor to view the whole colon and rectum. A doctor may pass surgical tools through the tube to take tissue samples and remove polyps.
• Removing a sample of tissue for testing. A biopsy is a procedure to remove a sample of tissue for testing in a lab. For colon cancer, the tissue sample is often collected during a colonoscopy. Sometimes surgery is needed to get the tissue sample. In the lab, tests can show whether the cells are cancerous and how quickly they’re growing. Other tests can give more information about the cancer cells. Your health care team uses the results to understand your prognosis and create a treatment plan.
• Blood tests. Blood tests aren’t used to diagnose colon cancer. But blood tests can give clues about overall health, such as how well the kidneys and liver are working. A blood test might be used to look for a low level of red blood cells. This result might indicate that a colon cancer is causing bleeding.

“It’s important to discuss all of your treatment options, including their goals and possible side effects, with your doctors to help make the decision that best fits your needs. It’s also very important to ask questions if there’s anything you’re not sure about.

If time permits, it is often a good idea to seek a second opinion. A second opinion can give you more information and help you feel more confident about the treatment plan you choose.

Based on your treatment options, you might have different types of doctors on your treatment team. These doctors could include:

• A gastroenterologist: a doctor who treats disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI or digestive) tract
• A surgical oncologist (oncologic surgeon): a doctor who uses surgery to treat cancer
• A colorectal surgeon: a doctor who uses surgery to treat diseases of the colon and rectum
• A radiation oncologist: a doctor who treats cancer with radiation therapy.”

American Cancer Society (https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/colon-rectal-cancer/treating.html)

“In the United States in 2020—

This is held in March each year, offers healthcare providers who care for patients with diseases of the colon and rectum a valuable opportunity to educate their community about these diseases and promote awareness of the importance of colorectal cancer screening, prevention, and treatment. These efforts may also provide a window into the profession and encourage others to consider careers in the field of colon and rectal surgery.

Not counting some kinds of skin cancer, colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men and women. It is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.

Colorectal cancer is now the fourth most common cancer in men and women.  It is the fourth leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States stated the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. Colorectal cancer affects people in all racial and ethnic groups and is most often found in people age 50 and older.

CDC states today counting some kinds of skin cancer, colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men and women. It is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.

The good news? If everyone age 50 and older were screened regularly, 6 out of 10 deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented. Communities, health professionals, and families can work together to encourage people to get screened.

How can Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month make a difference?

We can use this month to raise awareness about colorectal cancer and take action toward prevention. Communities, organizations, families, and individuals can get involved and spread the word.

Here are just a few ideas:

• Encourage families to get active together – exercise may help reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.
• Talk to family, friends, and people in your community about the importance of getting screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50.
• Encourage people over 50 to use this interactive tool to decide which colorectal cancer screening test they prefer.
• Ask doctors and nurses to talk to patients age 50 and older about the importance of getting screened

Among cancers that affect both men and women, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Every year, about 140,000 Americans get colorectal cancer, and more than 50,000 people die from it.

• Risk increases with age. More than 90% of colorectal cancers occur in people aged 50 and older.
• Precancerous polyps and colorectal cancer don’t always cause symptoms, especially at first. You could have polyps or colorectal cancer and not know it. That is why having a screening test is so important. If you have symptoms, they may include—
  • Blood in or on the stool (bowel movement).
  • Stomach pain, aches, or cramps that do not go away.
  • Losing weight and you don’t know why.

  These symptoms may be caused by something other than cancer. If you have any of them, see your doctor.

• There are several screening test options. Talk with your doctor about which is right for you.

“According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), traumatic brain injury is an acquired type of brain injury that takes place as a result of a sudden trauma that causes injury to the brain. For example, during skiing, if someone were to collide with a tree and hit their head at full-on impact that could certainly cause them to develop traumatic brain injury.

TBI is quite common and there are over 3.8 million TBIs in sports, in general, on a yearly basis within the United States alone. The NINDS has again reported that possibly half of the persons who are severely injured patients will need surgery to remove or repair ruptured blood vessels or bruised brain tissue. Sometimes, long-term effects, including disabilities may be a resulting issue.

Safety Precautions:

• Wear protective gear, such as a helmet.
• Be vigilant and avoid idling. This helps you to keep focused on what’s in your path ahead so you don’t collide with objects.
• Be mindful of the situation with the snow and ice. Is the ice super slippery or if there are hanging blankets of snow that may cause an avalanche?
• Ensure that wherever you take yourself or your family has a medical team on standby.”

Sioux Center Health – An Avera Partner

(https://www.siouxcenterhealth.org/latest-news-and-blog/national-winter-sports-traumatic-brain-injury-tbi-awareness-month/)

“Over the last 30 years, the risk of dying from cancer has steadily declined, sparing some 4 million lives in the United States. This downward trend can partially be explained by big wins in smoking cessation, early cancer detection, and treatment advancements.

The risk of developing 6 of the cancers on the rise is associated with excess body weight. Listed in order of strength of the association, those 6 cancers are endometrial, liver, kidney, pancreas, colorectal, and breast.”

The American Cancer Society (https://www.cancer.org/research/acs-research-news/facts-and-figures-2024.html)

“All living things depend on millions of chemical reactions that happen constantly. Chemical reactions that keep you alive happen fast! When you eat food, breathe, play, and grow, all of these are chemical reactions, and they must take place quickly.

3X7340

What are enzymes?

Enzymes are vital for processes to take place in our body without them they couldn’t take place.  We have many enzymes  in our body from our saliva to our pancreas.  Enzymes are specialized proteins that are produced by living cells to catalyze reactions in the body=breakdown.

A catalyst in action brakes down something, any chemical substance affected with the speed of reaction without being permanently altered by the reaction.  For a chemical or biochemical reaction to occur, a certain amount of energy is required=the activation energy.  Energy can be transformed from one state to another.  The role of an enzyme is to decrease the amount of energy needed to start the reaction.  Exactly how enzymes lower activation energies is not completely and fully understood but it is known that an enzyme attaches itself to one of the reacting molecules, this is called a substrate complex.  Thousands of enzymes exist but each kind can attach ONLY to one kind of substrate.  The enzyme molecule must fit exactly with the substrate molecule (just like how pieces in a jigsaw puzzle have to fit in their specific space of the picture).  Well, if the substrate and enzyme don’t perfectly match or fit properly no reaction takes place.  When they do fit perfectly the substrate molecule can react with other molecules in a synthesis reaction and when completed the enzyme is free to move on elsewhere to connect with another substrate molecule.  This whole process takes place quickly.  Clearly, enzymes are essential to the body’s overall homeostasis. (In order to lead a healthy life, we need to bring a balance in the way we lead our lifestyle.  Homeostasis is nothing but a mechanism which helps the human body maintain a balance between the internal and external environment).  Enzymes quickly perform catalyze chemical reactions and they also govern the reactions that occur.   Enzymes are named by adding the suffix “ase” to the name of their substrates.  Here are some examples below.

Protein in the form of an enzyme acts as a catalyst.

The breaking down of proteins=Trypsin Proteins are large biological molecules consisting of one or more chains of amino acids.  Proteins perform a vast array of functions within living organisms, including catalyzing metabolic reactions, replicating DNA, responding to stimuli, and transporting molecules from one location to another.  Trypsin is a enzyme catalyst, which allows the catalysis of chemical reactions.   The ending product of the break down is amino acids not sugar.  Know high on a protein diet continuously for years can hurt the body also.

The breaking down of starches = the enzyme that does this function is amylase

Know this about amylase, it is present in human saliva where it begins the chemical process of digestion; that starts in our mouth. Foods that contain much starch but little sugar, such as rice and potato, taste slightly sweet as they are chewed because amylase turns some of their starch into sugar in the mouth. The pancreas also makes amylase (alpha amylase) to hydrolyse dietary starch into disaccharides and trisaccharides which are converted by other enzymes to glucose to supply the body with energy.  There is even b and y amylases. Ending product on enzymes breaking down starches or carbohydrates gives us one thing only sugar.)

The breaking down of sugars, like sucrose = the enzyme is sucrase.  The ending product of the enzyme is it breaks down complex sugars to more simple sugars in the body.

The breaking down of fats (lipids) = the enzyme is lipase. 

Lipase perform essential roles in the digestion, transport and processing of dietary lipids in most if not all living organisms (example (triglycerides, fats, oils).Most lipases act at a specific position on glycerol backbone of lipid substrate (A1,A2 or A3 in the small intestines).  For example, human pancreatic lipase (HPL) is the main enzyme that breaks down dietary fats in the digestive system, converts triglyceride substrates found in ingested oils to monoglycerides and two fatty acids.  Know that glycerol is a simple sugar compound.  Enzymes deal with breaking down our foods because they take a major role in what we call the process digestion in the human body but notice what the ending result is of mostly every ingredient out of 3 of our food groups, which is SUGAR.  It’s because of the food already having some sugar in it but more importantly also the chemical reaction with the enzyme to allow the food to break down into smaller compounds to be utilized in the body=simpler sugar compounds which also plays a part in the entire digestion process.

So know sugar in the body is our fuel for energy with the help of digestion process to breakdown sugars, this is how it work: 

When the body gets a meal within 1 hour digestion starts in the stomach and complete in 6 to 8 hours depending on how large the meal is, especially if 3 large meals a day.  The foods if contain starches, fat, lipids they all break down to simple sugars that transfer to the bloodstream and whatever energy the body needs at that point the tissues with cells utilize it but when enough sugar is used and we have excess in the blood we than have the body store the extra sugar that first converts the glucose (active sugar) to glycogen (inactive sugar) in our liver.  The liver is only so big and when it reaches its optimal level of storage than the sugar gets stored in our fat tissue = WEIGHT GAIN.  This is the problem with people in America not understanding this process.  Plus as most people get older from 30 than to 40 years old and every 10 years after that till heaven we put cellulite on the body for 2 major reasons not eating as healthy due to the bikini and speedo fit not being the priority in life but getting the feet up after a hard day’s work is.  The other reason is we aren’t as active as when we were 20 or 30 years old and the metabolism naturally slows down unless you’re a Jack la Lanne or body trainer.

How do we deal with this to prevent obesity?  Do what I did go on a 4-6 small meal/health snack diet.  Eat a meal every 3 hours with keeping fat, calories/sugar, carbohydrates in proper proportions to prevent excess sugar in the meals to not allow fat storage=weight gain.  Of course some exercise or activity daily or every other day helps tone the muscle and not let it flab due to cellulite.  Live healthier habits of living not just a month, 3 months or 6 months but make it your daily routine with treating yourself to foods you don’t eat daily to maintain a good weight and increase your health status to allow you to live a happier, longer and more exciting life.

Enzymes deal with breaking down our foods because they take a major role in what we call the process digestion in the human body.  but notice what the ending result is of mostly every ingredient in our 4 food groups is; SUGAR.  It because of the food has some sugar in it but also the chemical reaction with the enzyme to allow the food to break down into smaller compounds to be utilized in the body with send through the entire digestion process.

There are risks with eating just high protein diets for long periods of time.  You put yourself at risk for:  Osteoporosis:  Research shows that women who eat high protein diets based on meat have a higher rate of bone density loss than those who don’t. Women who eat meat lose an average of 35% of their bone density by age 65, while women who don’t eat meat lose an average of 18%. In the long run, bone density loss leads to osteoporosis.

Kidneys:  A high protein diet puts strain on the kidneys.  It is well known that patients with kidney problems suffer from eating a high protein diet which is due to the high amino acids levels.  A high-protein diet may worsen kidney function in people with kidney disease because your body may have trouble eliminating all the waste products of protein metabolism.

However, the risks of using a high-protein diet with carbohydrate restriction for the long term are still being studied. Several health problems may result if a high-protein diet is followed for an extended time:

Some high-protein diets restrict carbohydrate intake so much that they can result in nutritional deficiencies or insufficient fiber, which can cause health problems such as constipation and diverticulitis.

Some high-protein diets promote foods such as red meat and full-fat dairy products, which may increase your risk of heart disease.

If you want to follow a high-protein diet, do so only as a short-term weight-loss aid.  Also, choose your protein wisely. Good choices include fish, skinless chicken, lean beef, pork and low-fat dairy products. Choose carbs that are high in fiber, such as whole grains and nutrient-dense vegetables and fruit.

It’s always a good idea to talk with your doctor before starting a weight-loss diet. And that’s especially important in this case if you have kidney disease, diabetes or other chronic health condition.

So if you want to continue on high protein diets longer than 6 months know how to alkalize the body chemicals to decrease the proteins and there are supplements that can do that via the pharmacy or look up even online.

Before changing your diet always do a diet check with your doctor to make sure its cleared “OK” by the doctor since he knows your entire medical history!