Page 23 - Health & Physical edu- 8

Effects of Malnutrition

Marasmus

A kind of disease that takes place due to shortage of protein and carbohydrate in

children and the people of any age is called marasmus. Mostly this disease is found
in the children below five years of age. The common symptoms of this disease
are: loss of appetite, weakening of the body, appearance of
wrinkles in the face, etc. Similarly, weight loss, slow growth,

loose stool, dehydration and thin chest muscles making the
ribs easily visible are the other symptoms of marasmus.

Milk, fish, meat, grains, etc. are the sources of protein and

wheat, maize, millet, potato and other sweet food items
are the sources of carbohydrates. To prevent children from
marasmus, balance diet is necessary.

Preventive Measures

a. The child needs to be breast fed only for six months from the birth. After

six months, the child must be fed with soft and nutritious food items such as
'Sarbottamlito', fruit juice, grain soup, vegetable soups, 'dalbhat', etc. along
with mother’s milk.

b. There must be early treatment of various communicable diseases.

c. The children should get timely treatment of diseases such as Malaria,
Pneumonia, dehydration, etc.

d. We should be aware of the disease.

1. Rickets

If there is deficiency of Vitamin ‘D’ in food, the body cannot extract calcium
and phosphorus which causes poor growth of bones and teeth. This condition
is called rickets. In this disease condition, the bones of the legs may be twisted,

ribs and forehead may be fronted,bones at wrist and ankles may be swelled.
These are the main symptoms of this disease.

Health & Physical Education, Class-8 19