Contents:
- Medical Video: How will I know if I'm not absorbing nutrients well?
- What are the symptoms of malabsorption of nutrients?
- What effect does the body have on absorbing nutrients?
- Cause the body cannot absorb nutrients properly
- 1. Function problems and intestinal damage
- 2. Disorders of pancreatic enzyme secretion
- 3. Other factors
Medical Video: How will I know if I'm not absorbing nutrients well?
What you consume does greatly affect your body's health and your nutritional adequacy. But, there are several factors that can interfere with nutrient intake, one of which is if the body cannot absorb nutrients properly.
All food we consume will go through the absorption process before the body gets the nutrients it needs. This is greatly influenced by the condition of the digestive organs in absorbing food nutrients. If a disturbance occurs, malabsorption of nutrients will occur and cause the body to remain nutrient deficient even though the amount of food consumed is sufficient.
READ ALSO: Signs of Your Child's Poor Nutrition
What are the symptoms of malabsorption of nutrients?
Malabsorption of nutrients is a syndrome or a group of disorders that cause the intestines to not absorb certain nutrients that are sufficient to flow into the blood. Malabsorption can be a disruption of absorption of macronutrients (proteins, fats and carbohydrates), mirkronutrien (vitamins and minerals) or both. The symptoms caused are almost the same as disorders due to nutritional deficiencies in general, such as:
- Impaired physical growth (especially in children)
- Weight loss
- Muscle mass loss
- Feel lethargic and weak
- Difficulty thinking
- Changes in feces; too dense, fatty, or diarrhea
What effect does the body have on absorbing nutrients?
Specifically, some health effects can be experienced by someone with malabsorption of nutrients, including:
- Anemia - caused by malabsorption of iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid.
- Inflammation, bleeding and thrush - caused by malabsorption of vitamin K and vitamin C.
- Muscle cramps in the hands and feet - due to calcium and magnesium malabsorption.
- Swelling (edema) in the legs - caused by malabsorption of protein.
- Muscle and bone pain - caused by malabsorption of calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamin D.
- Peripheral neuropathy (peripheral nerve damage) - caused by malabsorption of vitamins B1, B6 and B12.
READ ALSO: 4 Missing Nutrients If You Don't Eat Vegetables and Fruits
Cause the body cannot absorb nutrients properly
The body's ability to absorb nutrients is influenced by many things, but usually the body condition that absorbs nutrients is too little related to other health problems experienced by the individual. In general, the causes of malabsorption of nutrients can be classified as follows:
1. Function problems and intestinal damage
Common causes of malabsorption of nutrients when the intestine cannot absorb nutrients optimally. This is related to several conditions including:
- Celiac disease - intolerant conditions for barley cereals, wheat, and rye can trigger changes in the intestinal mucosa and trigger malabsorption.
- Crohn's disease - an inflammatory condition of the intestine that triggers macronutrient and water malabsorption.
- Radiation damage - radiation exposure to the lower body or around the abdomen can damage the intestinal mucosal layer thereby reducing its ability to absorb nutrients.
- Parasitic infections - generally in the form of tapeworm infections that not only take food nutrients but can also cause damage when lodged in the intestinal cavity.
- The impact of small intestine surgery - the operation of course will damage a part of the intestine, so that the intestines cannot work normally and require time for the intestines to function again.
- Short bowel syndrome - the condition of the intestinal surface that is too short so that it has limitations in absorbing nutrients, this can be due to birth defects or the impact of surgery.
READ ALSO: Your Intestine Signs Are Too Long
2. Disorders of pancreatic enzyme secretion
The pancreas plays a role in helping to absorb fat and other nutrients by secreting enzymes, so that interference with the pancreas will also affect the body's ability to absorb various nutrients. Disorders of the pancreas can be caused by:
- Cystic fibrosis - a disease that causes a decrease in enzymes which are needed to digest and absorb fat.
- Damage to the pancreas - caused by infection, trauma and the impact of surgery on the pancreas so that it suppresses the work of the pancreas to produce the necessary enzymes.
3. Other factors
Some of the causes of malabsorption of nutrients are caused by factors that are not directly related to problems in the digestive organs, including:
- HIV & AIDS infection - a weak condition of immunity triggers people with HIV / AIDS to be exposed to various diseases, especially diarrhea, which do not heal, and this can cause malabsorption.
- Consumption of drugs - several types of drugs affect the work of the intestine in absorbing nutrients if consumed for a long time, such as antibiotics (tetracycline), ulcer drugs (antacids), and weight loss drugs.
- Eating disorders - eating habits that are too extreme and unnatural eating patterns can damage the intestines and affect the way the intestines absorb nutrients.
- Cholestasis - impaired secretion of bile to the duodenum resulting in malabsorption of fat and the type of fat-soluble vitamins.
- Protein intolerance - can occur in both cow's milk and soy milk, this is because a person does not have enough enzymes to break down the sugar component in the milk.
