malnutrition
Meaning of malnutrition: Malnutrition is a state of inadequate nutrition, most often from insufficient calories or nutrients, that can result from diet, illness, or impaired absorption.
Definition of malnutrition
Malnutrition is a condition resulting from an inadequate intake or absorption of calories, protein, or essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, leading to effects on health, growth, or the body's ability to function and heal.
Malnutrition can develop for many reasons, including a diet lacking enough food or variety, digestive or absorptive disorders that prevent nutrients from being taken up properly, increased nutritional needs from illness or injury, and difficulty eating or swallowing. Chronic diseases, including cancer, kidney disease, and severe infections, can each contribute to malnutrition through several of these mechanisms at once.
Because malnutrition can develop gradually and its early signs can be subtle, such as unintended weight loss or fatigue, it is often identified through a combination of history, physical examination, and laboratory testing rather than from a single obvious symptom.
Used in a sentence
The patient's malnutrition was addressed with nutritional supplementation and dietary counseling.
Good to know
Malnutrition can occur even in someone who eats an adequate amount of food if the body cannot properly absorb or use the nutrients consumed, so intake alone does not rule out the condition.
Word origin
Where “malnutrition” comes from
Formed from Latin malus, meaning bad, and nutrire, meaning to nourish.