Many people are underweight, and the attitude to this is often rather frivolous. But if a person is not able to gain the necessary kilograms, then this indicates a violation of he alth and has nothing to do with malnutrition. Underweight can be observed in both men and women, and even in children. If there was a decrease in weight below the critical level of the body mass index, then in especially severe cases this leads to death.
Correct calculation
Even in the 19th century, a special value was developed - the body mass index, by calculating which, you can find out whether a person's weight is normal, overweight or insufficient. More on this later.
Body mass index is calculated by the ratio of height and weight. For an accurate result, it is necessary to weigh yourself in the morning after going to the toilet. Height is also measured after waking up, because during the day it can decrease by 2 cm.
Thus, the calculation of underweight, excess or norm is as follows:
Firstwe calculate the body mass index according to the formula:
Index=Weight (kg):Height2(m).
For example, a woman's weight is 68 kg and her height is 170 cm. The calculation in this case would be: 68:(1, 701, 70)=23.5. What does the data mean?
According to WHO recommendations, the indicators of the normal body mass index are 18.5–24.99. Thus, the figures obtained in the example indicate the norm. A body mass index below 18.5 indicates underweight, and if the index is below 16, then this is a pronounced underweight that requires medical intervention. Accordingly, indicators above 24.99 also make you wary, only about being overweight
Causes of occurrence
What causes underweight? The reasons for this are quite varied. The most common are the following:
- Malnutrition. It happens that a person is very busy at work and can only eat in the evening. But at this time, he is overcome by severe fatigue, and he cannot even bring a spoon to his mouth.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, which prevent food from breaking down and absorbing useful substances normally.
- Diseases of the endocrine system leading to hormonal imbalance. It can be an overactive thyroid gland, insufficient functioning of the adrenal glands, diabetes mellitus.
- Wrong lifestyle: lack of fat and carbohydrates in the diet, lack of sleep, stress, excessive physical activity, smoking. In this case, the lack of weightmost often occurs in women and is often caused by psychological causes - dreams of a beautiful and slender body, which leads to the development of neurosis and anorexia.
- Children are underweight at an early age due to underfeeding, when the mother does not have enough milk, or when the baby is fed the wrong formula. Sometimes underweight is diagnosed in a fetus as a result of an unfavorable pregnancy.
Heredity. Many people in the family had exceptionally thin relatives, but the weight deficit in this case rarely reaches a critical point.
What is the danger of being underweight?
A person with a pronounced underweight looks very unsightly and resembles a zombie from a horror movie. Even beauty is out of the question, as he begins to lose the smooth outlines of his figure, his hair and skin become dull, ordinary 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.
Immune weakening
Immune cells protect the body from the penetration of harmful microorganisms and the development of tumors. To do this, they require a certain amount of protein, as well as energy derived from carbohydrates. A lack of body weight leads to a decrease in nutrient reserves, as a result, the body stops producing immune cells, and the defense disappears. A person begins to often get sick with infectious diseases that are difficult totreatable.
Osteoporosis and hair loss
With insufficient body weight, the bones do not receive the necessary substances that are required for bone mass. In addition, the human skeleton does not experience the necessary weight pressure, which makes it less strong, and the bone tissue becomes fragile.
Excessive thinness leads to the fact that the hair becomes sparse and dull. They fall out much more than new ones appear. This is explained by the fact that very few vitamins, microelements and protein enter the body.
Anemia
The hematopoietic system also needs a lot of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and iron. Even taking multivitamins is not able to bring the desired result, as they are difficult to digest due to malabsorption in the intestines.
Endocrine disruption
Lack of body weight strongly affects the production of sex hormones. The body gets into a stressful situation due to a lack of nutrients, so it tries to save on these organs. Underweight women are often infertile and often have miscarriages. In men, sperm quality deteriorates greatly, spermatozoa become inactive or completely unviable. In very severe cases, aspermia (lack of sperm) occurs, as well as impotence.
Depression
Lack of body weight 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 underweight in childhood and adolescenceage leads to adverse effects. The lack of trace elements, nutrients and vitamins contributes to the growth and development of internal organs.
The child often suffers from colds, the uterus and ovaries cease to form in girls, and in boys there is a violation in the development of the reproductive system. If the problem of severe weight deficiency is not solved at a young age, then time will be lost, the reproductive system, as well as the bones, will never reach sufficient maturity, and the person will lose the opportunity to lead a normal sexual and family life.
Severe weight gain must be treated to avoid complications.
What is malnutrition?
Lack of body weight resulting from chronic eating and digestion disorders in young children is called malnutrition. At the same time, exhaustion develops, immunity weakens very much, and there is a violation of 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 degrees of underweight in 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 manifests itself in the abdomen, there is a decrease in skin and muscle tone, and infectious diseases develop. The weight deficit at this stage is11-20%.
The second degree of malnutrition is characterized by the fact that the weight loss is already 20-30%. The child has a developmental delay, he starts to sleep poorly, the chair is disturbed, growth slows down. Up to a year and a half, the baby often burps, the skin becomes not so elastic and gathers in folds. The limbs look very thin.
In 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 gets sick. The hands and feet are constantly cold, the subcutaneous tissue is very thin, the skin becomes grayish, the mucous membranes dry. Chronic pneumonia or pyelonephritis develops.
Treatment includes diet and medication. Hypotrophy of the 2nd and 3rd degree 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. Also additionally carry out massages, exercise therapy, UFO. In severe cases, tube feeding is done.
Diagnosis of disease
Since severe weight loss usually indicates serious disorders in the body, it is necessary to seek help from doctors such as an endocrinologist, gastroenterologist and nutritionist.
First, the doctor collects a complete history: the patient's food preferences, lifestyle, concomitant diseases, after which he weighs him and takes other measurements. To identify the hidden cause of weight loss, a specialistappoints additionally the following tests:
- hormonal and biochemical blood test, which reveals a violation of carbohydrate metabolism, the work of the thyroid gland and adrenal glands;
- urinalysis, which examines the level of protein, ketone bodies, glucose to detect diabetes;
- fecal analysis - performed only in case of suspected diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Treatment
Treatment for underweight adults includes:
- use of medicines, trace elements, vitamins;
- proper nutrition;
- physiotherapy exercises.
If the lack of weight is caused by any diseases, then the patient must first undergo a course of treatment aimed at getting rid of a specific disease, after which they begin the process of increasing body weight.
Proper nutrition
If underweight occurs, treatment most often involves proper nutrition. But this does not mean that you need to use everything in a row. To achieve a normal weight, you should follow a special diet and the advice of a nutritionist. So what are these recommendations?
Eating underweight should consist mainly of proteins and carbohydrates. You should not lean too heavily on fats, as in this case the digestive system is greatly stimulated. At best, this can lead to diarrhea, and at worst, contribute to the development of acute pancreatitis or cholecystitis.
Basic rule: Eat well three meals a day and also have three snacks, such as sweet tea and biscuits.
It's best to steer clear of sweetened sodas, which are completely calorie-free and easily kill your appetite. To avoid digestive problems, it is recommended to boil, bake or steam the dishes. The nutritional value in this case is significantly increased. A diet with a lack of body weight should include vegetables and fruits containing the required amount of vitamins and mineral s alts.
Nutritionists recommend eating the following foods to help you get better:
- beef, pork, chicken, lamb, turkey meat;
- 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, the menu should be varied - dishes should not be repeated every day, it is advisable to decorate them.
The underweight diet excludes the use of natural anabolics such as coffee, garlic and s alted herring. You can include seasonings that increase appetite in the diet, but only in small quantities. These include: adjika, horseradish, mustard, pepper. Don't forget to drink clean water.
Prevention measures
In order to prevent critical weight loss, it is recommended to adhere tothe following preventive measures:
- do moderate exercise;
- eat properly and regularly;
- reduce stressful situations and give up bad habits;
- control hormone levels, go for preventive examinations of the endocrine system and gastrointestinal tract;
- with a significant weight loss, you should contact 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 use the help of a specialist who will prescribe the appropriate treatment.
