The United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler proposes that agricultural waste, such as corn cobs and banana leaves, should be used as fuel instead of crops.In some developing countries, overnutrition (in the form of obesity) is beginning to appear in the same communities where malnutrition occurs. Overnutrition increases with urbanisation, food commercialisation and technological developments and increases physical inactivity. Variations in the health status of individuals in the same society are associated with the societal structure and an individuals socioeconomic status which leads to income inequality, racism, educational differences and lack of opportunities. Diseases & conditions
Infectious diseases which increase nutrient requirements, such as gastroenteritis, pneumonia, malaria, and measles, can cause malnutrition. So can some chronic illnesses, especially HIV/AIDS.Malnutrition can also result from abnormal nutrient loss due to diarrhea or chronic small bowel illnesses, like Crohns disease or untreated coeliac disease. "Secondary malnutrition" can result from increased energy expenditure.In infants, a lack of breastfeeding may contribute to undernourishment. Anorexia nervosa and bariatric surgery can also cause malnutrition. Dietary practices
Undernutrition
Undernutrition due to lack of adequate breastfeeding is associated with the deaths of an estimated one million children annually. Illegal advertising of breast-milk substitutes contributed to malnutrition and continued three decades after its 1981 prohibition under the WHO International Code of Marketing Breast Milk Substitutes.Maternal malnutrition can also factor into the poor health or death of a baby.
Malnutrition can cause vitamin-deficiency-related diseases like scurvy and rickets. As malnutrition worsens, those affected have less energy and experience impairment in brain functions. This can make it difficult (or impossible) for them to perform the tasks needed to acquire food, earn an income, or gain an education. Malnutrition can also cause acute problems, like hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). This condition can cause lethargy, limpness, seizures, and loss of consciousness. Children are particularly at risk and can become hypoglycemic after 4 to 6 hours without food. Dehydration can also occur in malnourished people, and can be life-threatening, especially in babies and small children. Signs
There are many different signs of dehydration in malnourished people. These can include sunken eyes; a very dry mouth; decreased urine output and/or dark urine; increased heart rate with decreasing blood pressure; and altered mental status. Cognitive development
Protein-calorie malnutrition can cause cognitive impairments. This most commonly occurs in people who were malnourished during a "critical period ... from the final third of gestation to the first 2 years of life". For example, in children under two years of age, iron deficiency anemia is likely to affect brain function acutely, and probably also chronically. Similarly, folate deficiency has been linked to neural tube defects.Iodine deficiency is "the most common preventable cause of mental impairment worldwide." "Even moderate [iodine] deficiency, especially in pregnant women and infants, lowers intelligence by 10 to 15 I.Q. points, shaving incalculable potential off a nations development."