Nutritional diseases

Abstract

A nutritional disorder results from a quantitatively and/or qualitatively inadequate intake (undernourishment, malnutrition, or overeating) and/or metabolization (malabsorption syndromes, enzymatic defects) of nutrients. The causes of nutritional disorders can be both psychological and physical. A nutritional disorder can affect isolated individual nutrients (such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, trace elements, minerals) or a combination of nutrients. A nutritional disorder can directly induce skin changes or injure the integrity of the whole organism and in this way influence the skin condition. Food disorders do not only affect developing countries; food disorders are also widespread in Central Europe, with a focus on eating disorders and hyperalimentation. Various indices can provide a rough indication of the nutritional status.