Macronutrients are the energy giving nutrients. They are a large part of our nutrition needs. Carbohydrates, protien, and fats make up the macronutrients.
The table above explains what the nutrients do for our bodies. What happens then if we are deficient in any of these all important nutrients?
The Center for Disease Control says that " At least half of children worldwide ages 6 months to 5 years suffer from one or more micronutrient deficiency, and globally more than 2 billion people are affected" (CDC, n.d.). This is outstandingly awful. Being deficient in iron, vitamin A, iodine, folate and zinc, can really take a toll on a body. Iron is needed for motor and cognitive development, vitamin A is needed for healthy eyesight and immune system development, iodine is one of the most important minerals required by a fetus for brain and cognitive development, folate is a vitamin that is essential in the earliest days of fetal growth for healthy development of the brain, spinal cord, and skull, and zinc is a mineral that promotes immunity, resistance to infection, and proper growth and development of the nervous system, and is integral to healthy pregnancy outcomes, This is just a small list of micronutrients that our bodies need, but as you can see they are very very important.
What then is macronutrient deficiency? Macronutrient deficiency is when there is a lack of the nutrients required in large amounts for normal growth and development. Remember the macronutrients are the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats needed for our bodies to produce energy. When we are deficient in these, it can lead to wasting (very low weight-for-length/height), or stunting (very low length/height-for-age).
Wasting happens when there low calorie intake and/or poor quality of food. Wasting results from a rapid weight loss or failure to gain weight due to infection or inadequate dietary intake. When a child experiences a severe calorie deficit, the first body compartment to be affected is fat stores, before length or head growth. This results in a child who is much too light for his or her frame and obviously undernourished-looking. In extreme cases of wasting, children are at an increased risk of death.
Recovering a normal body composition requires the intake of larger quantities of energy, proteins, and nutrients needed for the synthesis of muscle and fat tissue. However, if children with acute or severe malnutrition are re-fed too fast, they may develop a life-threatening condition called “refeeding syndrome.”
Stunting happens when failure to reach one’s genetic potential for height. The lack of nutrients – often combined with chronic infection and/or stress – can affect the child’s length more than weight. In these cases, kids will be small but might look chubby because their fat stores are disproportionately distributed across an even shorter body frame.
Children who are stunted may benefit from additional quantities of nutrients needed for both bone and lean tissue growth; however, a specific nutritional plan should be developed in conjunction with a child’s pediatrician and dietitian.
Malnutrition is an issue for adults as well as children. "Most often, adults with malnutrition feel vaguely ill; they lose fat, muscle, and strength—they are thin and getting thinner. Their energy and enthusiasm are sapped away. With unrelent- ing food shortages, observable nutrient deficiency diseases develop" (Sizer & Whitney, 2017. pg. 606). It is so very important to make sure we are getting all the micro- and macronutrients we need daily. We should really get these from food. I know that some feel they can just take supplements, but then you need to be sure that the amount of the supplements you are taking are really giving you the amount that you need.
Center for Disease Control https://www.cdc.gov/immpact/micronutrients/index.html
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