Poor diet and nutrition can have a wide range of consequences over time, affecting physical, mental and emotional health. Malnutrition affects nearly every system in the body and can significantly heighten the risk of a number of chronic diseases and health conditions. Poor eating habits can also affect how you look, causing weight gain or obesity, which comes with both social and health consequences.
Malnutrition
For some, the word "malnutrition" conjures a mental image of painfully thin people in third-world countries who are suffering from a lack of available food. But that perception is changing. Today, many of us who have never suffered from a lack of food are malnourished, and many people suffer both obesity and malnutrition due to poor dietary habits, such as consuming highly processed calorie-dense foods that offer little in the way of nutrition. The World Health Organization defines malnutrition as "bad nourishment," and states that it concerns not enough -- as well as too much -- food and the wrong types of food, and is characterized by inadequate or excess intake of protein, energy, micronutrients such as vitamins, and the frequent infections and disorders that result from these factors.
Obesity
Obesity is on the rise, largely due to poor diet and nutrition. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, more than one third of adults and 17 percent of children in the United States are obese, and from 1980 through 2008, obesity rates for adults doubled and rates for children tripled. Obesity can have serious health consequences, including significantly increased rates of coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, stroke and certain cancers. Obesity can also lead to joint degeneration, reproductive issues, liver or gall bladder disease, sleep apnea or respiratory problems. According to the CDC, children and adolescents are now developing obesity-related diseases that were once only seen in adults, such as type 2 diabetes, and a study of 5- to 17-year-olds found that 70 percent of obese children had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease and 39 percent had at least two.
Cardiovascular Disease
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 16.7 million -- or 29.2 percent -- of global deaths result from some form of cardiovascular disease, many of which are preventable by action on the major primary risk factors, which are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and smoking. Unhealthy dietary habits that contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease include high consumption of saturated fats, salt, and refined carbohydrates and low consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Diabetes
Poor diet and nutrition is a significant risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. According to FamilyDoctor.org, a diet high in fat, calories and cholesterol increases risk of diabetes, and can lead to obesity, another risk factor for diabetes.
Cancer
The American Cancer Institute lists poor diet as a risk factor for several types of cancer. For example, according to the American Cancer Institute, studies suggest that people whose diet is high in fat have an increased risk of cancers of the colon, uterus and prostate, and being overweight and sedentary are risk factors for cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, kidney and uterus.
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