Discuss consequences of protein deficiency

Answer 1

When diets lack sufficient protein from food or sufficient amounts of any of the essential amino acids, symptoms of malnutrition become evident. In protein deficiency, when the diet supplies too little protein or lacks a specific essential amino acid relative to the others (a limiting amino acid), the body slows its synthesis of proteins while increasing its breakdown of body tissue protein to liberate the amino acids it needs to build other proteins of critical importance. Without these critical proteins to perform their roles, many of the body's life-sustaining activities would come to a halt. The most recognizable consequences of protein deficiency include slow growth in children, impaired brain and kidney functions, weakened immune defenses, and impaired nutrient absorption from the digestive tract. In clinical settings, the term protein-energy malnutrition has been used to describe the condition that develops when the diet delivers too little protein, too little energy, or both. However, such malnutrition reflects insufficient food intake, with not only too little protein and energy but also too few vitamins, too few minerals, and, in fact, too little of most of the nutrients needed for health and growth.