Tag: food and human health

In 1968, a mixture of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) got into rice bran oil by accidental leakage at the rice oil producing Kanemi Company on February 7-15 produced in northern Kyushu. Contaminated cooking oil sickened more than 1860 people. The symptoms were called Yusho disease. 

Marasmus is caused by a simultaneous deficiency of both proteins and calories (energy), typically affecting infants. Kwashiorkor, on the other hand, is primarily a protein deficiency with adequate calorie intake.

Sunlight exposure helps the human body synthesize Vitamin D from cholesterol in the skin. A deficiency in Vitamin D leads to rickets, a condition characterized by weakened and softened bones in children.

Kwashiorkor is associated with a decrease in serum proteins. The drop is particularly striking in liver-synthesized protein i.e. albumin ( < 2 g/dl against 3-4.5 g/dl ) and lipoproteins. The protein synthesis in liver is dependent upon the supply of alimentary amino acids after each meal. So later if the protein deficiency persist there is again a drop in the level of albumin synthesis which can be noticed immediately.
The ingestion of protein rich food can control kwashiorkor. The treatment can be monitored by measuring plasma albumin concentration, disappearance of edema and gain in body weight.

Kwashiorkor is a protein energy malnutrition that occurs in children, 1 to 5 years of age, due to constantly reduced protein availability while the requirement is high. A kwashiorkor child has match stick legs, protruded pot belly, blotchy skin, bulging eyes, wasted muscles, anaemia, oedema due to deficiency of albumin and repeated diarrhoea.

Kwashiorkor is a protein deficiency disease. It commonly affects infants and children between 1 to 3 year of age. The symptoms are underweight children, stunted growth, poor brain development, loss of appetite, anaemia, dermatitis on lower leg and face. Proteins are necessary for growth, repair of tissue and for body defence therefore adequate amount of proteins must be present in the diet. Daily requirement is 1 gm protein per kg body weight in adult and 2 gm protein per kg body weight in growing children. Important sources of protein in food are cereals, pulses, meat, fish, milk, groundnut, peas etc.

Kwashiorkor is a severe form of malnutrition, caused by a deficiency in dietary protein. It is characterised by the edema, irritability etc. Whereas rickets is the deficiency disorder of vitamin D, scurvy is the deficiency disorder of vitamin C and  carotenemia is caused by the excessive consumption of beta-carotene rich food. Thus, the correct answer is option C.

Kwashiorkor is a severe form of malnutrition, caused by a deficiency in dietary protein. The extreme lack of protein causes an osmotic imbalance in the gastro-intestinal system causing swelling of the gut diagnosed as an edema or retention of water. Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) is a public health problem that exists among children in developing countries, and in certain communities of some developed countries mainly resulting from poor nutritional intake, bad hygiene practices and frequent infections.

Kwashiorkor is a form of malnutrition that occurs when there is not enough protein in the diet.