Many people experience a lack of weight, and the attitude to this is most often rather frivolous. But if a person is not able to gain the necessary kilograms, then this indicates a violation of health and is in no way associated with a malnutrition. Body mass deficiency can be observed in both men and women, and even in children. If there has been a decrease in weight below a critical level of body mass index, then in especially severe cases this leads to death.
Correct calculation
Back in the 19th century, a special value was developed - the body mass index, by calculating which one can find out whether a person’s weight is normal, overweight or insufficient. More on this in more detail.
Body mass index is calculated by the ratio of height and weight. For an accurate result, you need to weigh yourself in the morning after going to the toilet. Growth is also measured after waking up, because during the day it is able to decrease by 2 cm.
Thus, the calculation of the deficit of body weight, its excess or norm, is performed as follows:
- First, we consider the body mass index according to the formula:
Index = Weight (kg): Height 2 (m).
For example, a woman’s weight is 68 kg and her height is 170 cm. The calculation in this case will be as follows: 68: (1.70 * 1.70) = 23.5. What does the received data mean?
- According to WHO recommendations, the index of normal body mass is 18.5-24.99. Thus, the numbers obtained in the example indicate the norm. A body mass index below 18.5 indicates a lack of weight, and if the indicator is below 16, then this is a pronounced weight deficit requiring medical intervention. Accordingly, indicators above 24.99 also make you wary, only about excess weight.
Causes of occurrence
Why is there a lack of body weight? The reasons for this are quite diverse. The following are considered the most common:
- Malnutrition. It happens that a person is very busy at work and can only eat in the evening. But at this time, severe fatigue piles on him, and he cannot even bring a spoon to his mouth.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract that prevent food from breaking down and assimilating to useful substances.
- Diseases of the endocrine system, leading to a malfunction of the hormonal background. This may be hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, insufficient functioning of the adrenal glands, diabetes mellitus.
- Improper lifestyle: lack of fat and carbohydrates in the diet, lack of sleep, stress, excessive physical activity, smoking. In this case, weight loss most often occurs in women and is often caused by psychological reasons - dreams of a beautiful and slender body, which leads to the development of neurosis and anorexia.
- In children, underweight is observed at an early age due to underfeeding, when the mother does not have enough milk or when feeding the baby with the wrong mixture. Sometimes a lack of weight is diagnosed in the fetus as a result of an unfavorable pregnancy.
Heredity. Many people in the family had extremely thin relatives, but underweight in this case rarely reaches a critical point.
Why is weight loss dangerous?
A person with a pronounced deficit in body weight looks very unsightly and resembles zombies from horror films. There can be no talk of beauty, since he begins to lose the smoothness of his body shape, his hair and skin become dull, normal physical activity becomes an insurmountable task. But, in addition to the loss of attractiveness, various diseases and painful conditions arise, which we will consider in more detail.
Weakened immunity
Immune cells protect the body from the penetration of harmful microorganisms and the development of tumors. To do this, they need a certain amount of protein, as well as energy derived from carbohydrates. Deficiency of body weight leads to a decrease in nutrient reserves, as a result, the body ceases to produce immune cells, and the defense disappears. A person often begins to suffer from infectious diseases that are difficult to treat.
Osteoporosis and Hair Loss
With insufficient body weight, the bones do not receive the substances they need that are required for bone mass. In addition, the human skeleton does not experience the necessary pressure of weight, which makes it less strong, and bone tissue becomes fragile.
Excessive thinness leads to the fact that the hair becomes sparse and dull. They drop out much more than new ones appear. This is explained by the fact that very few vitamins, trace elements and protein enter the body.
Anemia
The hematopoietic system also needs enough carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and iron. Even taking multivitamins is not able to bring the proper result, since they are difficult to digest due to malabsorption in the intestines.
Endocrine disruption
Lack of body weight is strongly reflected in the production of sex hormones. The body gets into a stressful situation due to lack of nutrients, so it tries to save on these organs. Women with underweight often suffer from infertility, and they often experience miscarriages. In men, sperm quality is greatly deteriorated, sperm become inactive or completely non-viable. In very severe cases, aspermia occurs (lack of sperm), as well as impotence.
Depression
Body mass deficiency quite often causes depression. This is due not only to the fact that very few vitamins enter the body, but also to asthenia and general exhaustion. Severe weight loss in childhood and adolescence leads to adverse effects. The lack of trace elements, nutrients and vitamins helps to delay the growth and development of internal organs.
The child often suffers from colds, in girls the uterus and ovaries cease to form, in boys there is a violation in the development of the reproductive system. If the problem of severe weight loss is not resolved at a young age, then time will be lost, the reproductive system, as well as the bones, will never be able to reach sufficient maturity, and a person will lose the opportunity to lead a normal sexual and family life.
Severe underweight must be treated to avoid complications.
What is malnutrition?
Body mass deficiency resulting from chronic eating and digestive disorders in young children is called malnutrition. At the same time, exhaustion develops, immunity weakens very much, there is a disruption in the functioning of vital organs. Such a pathology occurs in the first year of a child’s life and can be both congenital and acquired.
The degree of body mass deficiency in case of malnutrition distinguish the first, second and third.
The first degree is manifested as follows: a slight decrease in appetite, excessive excitability, sleep disturbance. In a child, thinness is manifested in the abdomen, there is a decrease in skin and muscle tone, and infectious diseases develop. The weight deficit at this stage is 11-20%.
The second degree of malnutrition is characterized by the fact that underweight is already 20-30%. The child has a developmental delay, he starts to sleep poorly, stool is broken, growth is slowed down. Up to a year and a half, the baby often spits up, the skin becomes not so elastic and folds. The limbs look very thin.
With the third degree of the disease, the child begins to lag behind in growth by 4-9 cm, and the weight deficit is already 30%. He begins to constantly fall asleep, he cries all the time, often sick. Hands and feet are constantly cold, subcutaneous tissue is greatly thinned, skin becomes grayish, mucous membranes dry. Chronic pneumonia or pyelonephritis develops.
Treatment includes diet and medication. Hypotrophy 2 and 3 degrees requires the child to be in the hospital. The effectiveness of diet therapy appears after 1-4 months, depending on the degree of weight deficiency. They also carry out massages, exercise therapy, ultraviolet radiation. In severe cases, feeding is carried out using a probe.
Diagnosis of the disease
Since severe lack of weight usually indicates serious violations in the body, it is necessary to seek the help of such doctors as an endocrinologist, gastroenterologist and nutritionist.
First, the doctor collects a complete medical history: the patient’s nutritional preferences, his lifestyle, and concomitant diseases, after which he weighs him and takes other measurements. To establish the hidden cause of weight loss, the specialist additionally prescribes the following tests:
- a hormonal and biochemical blood test, due to which a violation of carbohydrate metabolism, the thyroid gland and adrenal glands is detected;
- urinalysis, with which the level of protein, ketone bodies, glucose is examined to detect diabetes;
- fecal analysis - performed only in case of suspected gastrointestinal diseases.
Treatment
Treatment for adult body mass deficiency includes:
- the use of drugs, trace elements, vitamins;
- properly selected food;
- physiotherapy exercises.
If the lack of weight is caused by any disease, then the patient must first undergo a course of treatment aimed at getting rid of a specific disease, and then begin the process of increasing body weight.
Proper nutrition
If there is a lack of body weight, treatment most often involves proper nutrition. But this does not mean that it is necessary to use everything in a row. To achieve normal weight, you should adhere to a special diet and nutritional advice. So what are these recommendations?
Nutrition in case of body mass deficiency should consist mainly of proteins and carbohydrates. Do not lean too heavily on fats, as in this case the digestive system is greatly stimulated. This can lead to diarrhea at best, and at worst it can contribute to the development of acute pancreatitis or cholecystitis.
The main rule: you need to eat fully three times a day and should also be eaten three times, for example, with sweet tea and cookies.
It is best to abandon soda with sweetener, which is completely non-nutritive and easily interrupts the appetite. To avoid digestive problems, it is recommended to boil, bake or steam. The nutritional value in this case is significantly increased. A diet for deficiency of body weight should include vegetables and fruits containing the required amount of vitamins and mineral salts.
Nutritionists recommend the following foods to help you get better:
- beef, pork, chicken, lamb, turkeys;
- pasta and cereals;
- bread and other pastries;
- cream, whole milk, sour cream;
- hard cheeses;
- sea ​​fish;
- vegetables and fruits;
- chocolate, ice cream, various sweets;
- lactic acid products, cottage cheese;
- tea with milk, coffee, fruit drinks, juices.
To increase appetite, a variety should be added to the menu - dishes should not be repeated every day, it is advisable to decorate them.
Diet with a lack of body weight eliminates the use of natural anabolic steroids such as coffee, garlic and salted herring. You can include seasonings that enhance appetite in the diet, but only in small quantities. These include: adjika, horseradish, mustard, pepper. Do not forget to drink clean water.
Preventive measures
In order to prevent a critical decrease in body weight, it is recommended to adhere to the following preventive measures:
- exercise moderate physical activity;
- eat properly and regularly;
- reduce stressful situations and abandon bad habits;
- monitor hormone levels, go for routine examinations of the endocrine system and gastrointestinal tract;
- with significant weight loss, you should consult a competent specialist for medical therapy.
Conclusion
Thus, underweight can occur for various reasons. You should not artificially bring yourself to such a state, since excessive thinness has not painted anyone yet, but, on the contrary, has led to very sad consequences. If the weight is reduced due to various diseases, you should definitely take the help of a specialist who will prescribe the appropriate treatment.