What Is The Difference Between Optimum Nutrition & Malnutrition?

Optimum nutrition and malnutrition are opposite conditions determined by the quantity and quality of nutrients a person consumes. Good nutrition increases the chances a person will experience healthy growth during childhood and enjoy good health as an adult. Optimum nutrition requires an adequate intake of calories from foods that provide a balanced supply of nutrients. Malnutrition refers to the consumption of too few calories, too many calories or an unhealthy imbalance of nutrients in the diet.

Optimum Nutrition

Physicians writing for The Mayo Clinic's website consider a healthy diet to be one that includes nutrients provided by vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, seeds, nuts and protein sources such as fish and lean meats. They also suggest that optimal nutrition for an individual might depend on his particular health risks. For example, the amount of fat and salt in the diet might be adjusted for people with high cholesterol levels or elevated blood pressure readings. Optimal nutrition will help you maintain a healthy weight and lower the risk of developing some diseases.

Components Of An Optimum Nutrition Plan

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that good nutrition means an adequate, not overabundant, intake of five different categories of nutrients. Water is necessary for the optimal functioning of every physiological system in the body. Other key components of an ideal diet include dietary fats, particularly polyunsaturated fats; carbohydrates, particularly whole grains; lean sources of protein; vitamins and minerals.

Malnutrition: Too Few Calories

Malnutrition often is used to refer to undernutrition or subnutrition -- that is, consumption of too little food to provide enough calories or protein to allow the body to repair itself and grow. This can result from the unavailability of food or from an illness that prevents a person from absorbing nutrients. Another type of malnutrition results not from a deficit of calories, but from a diet which is not balanced in terms of the types of nutrients it provides. One of the most common nutrient deficiencies is the lack of iron. Nearly one million people die as a result of iron deficiency every year. Lack of other vital nutrients takes a toll, as well. Vitamin A deficiency, for example, is responsible for blindness in children, and too little iodine causes brain damage and mental retardation.

Malnutrition: Too Many Calories

A less familiar type of malnutrition is associated with the consumption of too many calories. This can be called accurately "overnutrition" or "overconsumption". The consequences of this type of malnutrition can include high blood pressure and elevated risks of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and some cancers. If an overweight or obese person consumes an excess of calories without getting a proper balance of nutrients, he or she may suffer from a type of malnutrition called subnutrition. The World Health Organization estimates that overnutrition kills more than half a million people in North America and Western Europe each year.