 [ Symptoms ] why does the my food not taste as good as it used to  i am a bit underweight and have i have been trying to gain weight i used to love food and ate like a horse but never gained a pound over the past few years my appetite has dwindled down to nearly nothing i do not get hunger pangs instead i get nauseous when i forget to eat for too long  recently my appetite has taken a worse turn   when i eat the food does not appeal or satisfy it tastes okay but not enjoying meals makes trying to eat even harder [ Disease ] cystic fibrosis sis tik fi bro sis or cf is an inherited disease of your secretory glands including the glands that make mucus and sweat inherited means that the disease is passed through the genes from parents to children people who have cystic fibrosis inherit two faulty cystic fibrosis genes — one from each parent the parents likely do not have the disease themselves cystic fibrosis mostly affects the lungs pancreas liver intestines sinuses and sex organs mucus is a substance made by the lining of some body tissues normally mucus is a slippery watery substance it keeps the linings of certain organs moist and prevents them from drying out or getting infected however if you have cystic fibrosis your mucus becomes thick and sticky the mucus builds up in your lungs and blocks your airways — the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs the build up of mucus makes it easy for bacteria to grow this leads to repeated serious lung infections over time these infections can severely damage your lungs the thick sticky mucus also can block tubes or ducts in your pancreas as a result the digestive enzymes that your pancreas makes can not reach your small intestine these enzymes help break down the food that you eat without them your intestines can not fully absorb fats and proteins this can cause vitamin deficiency and malnutrition because nutrients leave your body unused it also can cause bulky stools intestinal gas a swollen belly from severe constipation and pain or discomfort cystic fibrosis also causes your sweat to become very salty as a result your body loses large amounts of salt when you sweat this can upset the balance of minerals in your blood and cause a number of health problems examples include dehydration a condition in which your body does not have enough fluids increased heart rate tiredness weakness decreased blood pressure heat stroke and rarely death if you or your child has cystic fibrosis you are also at increased risk for diabetes or a bone thinning condition called osteoporosis cystic fibrosis also causes infertility in men and it can make it harder for women to get pregnant