Condition : Malnutrition

Condition Malnutrition

What is malnutrition?

Malnutrition means ‘poor nutrition’, and not getting enough nutrients (known as undernutrition) or getting more nutrients that you need (known as overnutrition).

The information on this page focusses on undernutrition.

For mental health conditions relating to nutrition, such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating, refer to our page about eating disorders.

Read about eating disorders

Being undernourished can lead to frailty, putting you at risk of a weak immune system and fragile bones, which means you’ll be more likely to get ill and suffer fractures and then find it harder to recover.

Other signs of malnutrition can include:

unintentional weight loss (losing more than 5% of your weight over three to six months)
a low body mass index (BMI)
feeling tired all the time (fatigue)
feeling cold most of the time
low mood and depression
muscle weakness
hair loss or thinning
eye problems
feeling faint or fainting

What causes malnutrition?

Malnutrition can have a variety of physical causes, including:

medical conditions that affect how well nutrients are absorbed – Crohn’s disease, coeliac disease, and cancer are a few examples
problems relating to insulin (diabetes)
feeling sick (nausea) because of a medical condition, treatment, or medication
swallowing problems (dysphagia)
raised or reduced hormone levels (for example, overactive thyroid)
burning an increased amount of energy while recovering from a surgery or injury, or because of a tremor, such as in Parkinson’s disease
dietary restrictions (if you have allergies, intolerances, medical treatments, or veganism) that can make it harder to plan and make healthy meals that give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs.

Next steps

Step 1. Check out our advice

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Step 3. View our services

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Managing your health

Adults

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External support

Children and young people

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