Many diseases in humans are thought to be directly or indirectly related to nutrition, These include, but are not limited to, deficiency diseases, caused by a lack of essential nutrients.
Overnutrition:
-
Cardiovascular disease (Leading cause of death in the western world); a primary cause is thought to be ingestion of saturated fat and trans fat
-
Some cancers
-
Diabetes mellitus
-
Obesity
Vitamin deficiencies:
-
beriberi
-
rickets
-
scurvy
-
vitamin deficiency disease
-
kwashiorkor
-
pellagra
-
poor immune system function, potentially leading to a wide range of other illnesses.
-
osteoporosis - caused by calcium deficiency
Trace mineral deficiencies:
-
metabolic or nutritionally related disease such as diabetes mellitus or endemic goitre
-
zinc deficiency (growth retardation)
|