Insufficient protein causes fluid to shift to areas of the body that it should not be in, where it accumulates in the tissues. A fluid imbalance across the walls of capillaries can lead to fluid retention, or edema.
Kwashiorkor is a type of malnutrition characterized by severe protein deficiency. It causes fluid retention and a swollen, distended abdomen. Kwashiorkor most commonly affects children, particularly in developing countries with high levels of poverty and food insecurity.
That's because the belly on a starving person has nothing to do with fat. Rather, it is often the result of Protein Calorie Malnutrition, or PCM. PCM means a healthy number of calories are being eaten - say in the form of rice - but with a severe deficiency in protein.
Sadly, malnutrition is still common in infants in many parts of the world. Severely affected children become very skinny, but with a swollen 'pot' belly (think of the pictures from Live Aid). This is called kwashiorkor, and happens because their bodies cannot deal with fluids properly.
Kwashiorkor is a condition resulting from inadequate protein intake. Early symptoms include fatigue, irritability, and lethargy. As protein deprivation continues, one sees growth failure, loss of muscle mass, generalized swelling (edema), and decreased immunity. A large, protuberant belly is common.
Gastrointestinal function
Adequate nutrition is important for preserving GI function: chronic malnutrition results in changes in pancreatic exocrine function, intestinal blood flow, villous architecture and intestinal permeability.
Undereating actually causes your body to consume muscle tissue to provide enough energy to keep the body going. By undereating, you lose muscle and muscle definition due to the muscles being cannibalized. Kwashiorkor is primarily a lack of protein in the diet. One of the symptoms is the protruding belly.
Common reasons for someone to have belly fat even when they're skinny is: Being too sedentary (inactive), which builds visceral fat around the organs and abdominal fat. Eating too many processed foods, which stores at the belly.
Just as the heart, lungs and other organs weaken and shrivel without food, eventually so does the brain. The concern for children is that their brains are still developing and any loss of function due to starvation could be permanent.
When the stomach empties slowly, even the “lightest” food item can cause bloating. This problem is associated with being underweight and the actual hormonal underlying mechanism of it is not fully understood.
This causes the contents of the abdomen to bulge out making the abdomen swollen. Legs are swollen due to edema. This is caused due to lack of vital nutrients. These two symptoms are seen in children with severe malnutrition.
A number of other criteria define severe malnutrition including low energy intake, weight loss, loss of subcutaneous fat, loss of muscle mass, fluid accumulation, and decreased hand grip strength.
Not drinking enough water can have some startling consequences, including a bloated belly, constipation, even weight gain.
Skinny fat people are often a normal weight (or underweight!) but because of their sedentariness, lack of muscle, or poor diet, they have a high percentage of body fat. Often, skinny fat people are at risk of certain medical issues as listed: Raised blood sugar, leading to insulin resistance or diabetes.
A very real possibility is that when you notice that you are losing weight but look fatter, there is a high chance that you only lost water weight or muscle mass, or both. Fat is an essential component of your body, which performs a lot of important functions.
Why am I fat despite being underweight? You're what is described as being 'skinny fat'. It's a condition of being at or below your ideal weight but not having enough muscle mass. Someone who weighs 120lbs will have that be a composite of fat, muscle, bone, organs, blood, etc.
Would you believe that eating less can result in more belly fat? It's true. While intuitively it makes sense that eating fewer calories will lead to a flat stomach, the reality is that because of the effects undereating can have on certain hormones, not eating enough can lead to fat accumulation on your midsection.
To lose stomach overhang you have to burn fat cells in both the fat you can see directly under the skin and also the more dangerous fat that you can't see that surrounds your organs. Cardio such as swimming, aerobics, running or dancing will burn this excess fat store.
Undernutrition may look like: Low body weight, prominent bones, depleted fat and muscle. Thin arms and legs with edema (swelling with fluid) in your belly and face. Stunted growth and intellectual development in children.
In our study, the median recovery time from malnutrition was 5 months (95% CI = 4–5). The cumulative proportion of recovery was 0.6% at 2 months, 17.5% at 3 months, 49.5% and 78% at 5 and 6 months, respectively (Figure 2).
Malnutrition Warning Signs
Increased weight loss. Lack of muscle mass. Swollen stomach (called Kwashiorkor) Fatigue and low energy levels.