4 generations of women

What is malnutrition?

What your body needs in the way of nutrients changes over time as we age. There may also be times when your body struggles to get all the essential nutrients it needs through diet. You may find that you are eating smaller meals, less protein and a smaller variety of vitamins and mineral rich foods, causing your body to become weaker and therefore less resilient. Did you know this can lead to malnutrition?

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Signs of malnutrition

The signs that a person may be malnourished range from the totally obvious to the very vague. It is increasingly called the silent epidemic because it can go unnoticed and undiagnosed, especially outside of an environment where healthcare professionals are regularly monitoring someone’s health and what they’re consuming.

Nutritionist giving consultation to patient with healthy fruit and vegetable, Right nutrition and diet concept

Causes of malnutrition

Malnutrition can be caused by a wide and varied list of factors. Diagnosis of an illness, physical limitations and the consumption of foods with low nutrient density can all have a part to play.

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What can you do?

The good news is malnutrition can be treated and even prevented; the type and length of treatment will depend on the individual circumstances of the person diagnosed.

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FAQS

Do you have a lot of unanswered questions around malnutrition? We understand it can be hard to find the information you’re after in one place, so to make it easier for you we’ve compiled the questions we get asked most about malnutrition. We put it simply and answer some of the most commonly asked questions.