Protein is among the few nutrients that are significant for daily intake in the diet for the human body. Protein, being the building block of muscles, skin, enzymes, and hormones, plays an essential role in all body tissues and every cell.
Protein deficiency leads to various health problems, which can be life-threatening.
This blog highlights 8 symptoms of low protein intake or protein deficiency.
It is pertinent here to discuss that the most severe form of protein deficiency is known as kwashiorkor. Often (occurs in children)
The following symptoms in the early stages of protein deficiency are listed below:
1. Edema: characterized by swollen and puffy skin.
Edema is caused by low amounts of human serum albumin; the key symptoms are edema with a swollen abdomen.
2. Fatty Liver: Fat accumulation in liver cells, left untreated results in causing inflammation, liver scarring, and potentially liver failure. It occurs with protein deficiency due to an impaired synthesis of fat-transporting proteins
3. Skin, Hair and Nail Problems: mark on the skin, hair and nails by protein deficiency is distinguished by flaky or splitting skin, redness and patches of depigmented skin. The hair thinning and brittle nails are unlikely to appear unless you have a severe protein deficiency.
4. Loss of Muscle Mass: muscles being largest reservoir of protein in case of short supply dietary protein are affected most. As the body tends preserve more important tissues and body functions first. Thus, lack of protein leads to muscle wasting over time. It is seen that in moderate protein insufficiency as well muscle wasting, especially in elderly people occurrs.
5. Greater Risk of Bone Fractures: low protein intake not only affect muscles but bones are also at risk. Deficiency of protein weaken your bones and increase the risk of fractures as per study in postmenopausal women(trusted link source) hip fractures – the result revealed that 20 grams of protein supplements per day for half a year slowed bone loss by 3.6%
6. Stunted Growth in Children: Protein is essential for body growth and is essential in childhood i.e. growth phase. Protein deficiency is harmful to children whose growing bodies require a steady supply of adequate nutrients and malnutrition results in stunted growth –preventing and delaying growth in children
7. Increased Severity of Infections: protein deficit body as insufficient working immune system. With impaired immune system- the increase risk or severity of infections, pertains.
8. Greater Appetite and Calorie Intake: the poor appetite being main symptom of severe protein deficiency is totally opposite to milder forms of deficiency. It is said that protein intake is inadequate in case then body attempts to restore protein status by increasing appetite.
