malnutrition

/ˌˈmælnuˌtrɪʃən/

/mælnuˈtrɪʃən/

Other forms: malnutritions

Malnutrition is a condition resulting from an unbalanced diet or insufficient food. If you live for an entire year on Twinkies and diet soda, you will undoubtedly suffer from malnutrition.

When you break apart the word malnutrition, it’s easy to remember what it means. You’re probably already familiar with nutrition, which refers to taking in or using food. Add on the prefix mal-, meaning “bad,” and you get a word that means “bad nutrition.” If you suffer from malnutrition, that means you aren’t getting the right balance of nutrients. This can be caused by not getting enough to eat, or it can be caused by not eating enough healthy foods.

Definitions of malnutrition

1. noun

   a state of poor nutrition; can result from insufficient or excessive or unbalanced diet or from inability to absorb foods
   types:

   avitaminosis, hypovitaminosis

   any of several diseases caused by deficiency of one or more vitamins

   kwashiorkor

   severe malnutrition in children resulting from a diet excessively high in carbohydrates and low in protein

   marasmus

   extreme malnutrition and emaciation (especially in children); can result from inadequate intake of food or from malabsorption or metabolic disorders

   beriberi

   avitaminosis caused by lack of thiamine (vitamin B1)

   Alpine scurvy, Saint Ignatius' itch, maidism, mal de la rosa, mal rosso, mayidism, pellagra

   a disease caused by deficiency of niacin or tryptophan (or by a defect in the metabolic conversion of tryptophan to niacin); characterized by gastrointestinal disturbances and erythema and nervous or mental disorders; may be caused by malnutrition or alcoholism or other nutritional impairments

   rachitis, rickets

   childhood disease caused by deficiency of vitamin D and sunlight associated with impaired metabolism of calcium and phosphorus

   scorbutus, scurvy

   a condition caused by deficiency of ascorbic acid (vitamin C)

   moon blindness, night blindness, nyctalopia

   inability to see clearly in dim light; due to a deficiency of vitamin A or to a retinal disorder

   type of:

   deficiency disease

   any disease caused by a lack of an essential nutrient (as a vitamin or mineral)