|
Deficiency
diseases result from insufficient amounts of various healthful
nutrients in the diet. Examples include scurvy, caused by
a deficiency of vitamin C, or ascorbic acid; pellagra, caused
by a deficiency of niacin; and osteoporosis, caused at least
in part by a lack of calcium. Deficiency diseases are most
prevalent in poverty- or war-stricken areas of the world,
where malnutrition is widespread. Deficiency diseases are
also found in more affluent nations where food is prevalent
but people’s food choices or behavior do not provide
well-rounded nutrition, resulting in such disorders as anorexia
nervosa, bulimia, and anemia.
|
