Nutrition and metabolic disorders
Did you know that if you develop nutrition deficiency it can give you metabolic disorders? Because nutrition works as a fuel for metabolism. Metabolism helps us grow, reproduce, repair damage, and adapt according to the environment.
So, it is essential to know about those common disorders to avoid them.
Keep reading!!!
Metabolism is a biochemical process that is present in the living organism which helps us grow, reproduce, repair damages, and respond to our environment. Metabolism is particularly important to sustain life and its functions.
A metabolic disorder is a condition that breaks the normal chemical process of metabolism. This disorder leaves the body with either too much or too few substances to keep the body healthy. Our body is very sensitive when any problems happen to metabolism and metabolism depends on nutrition to work. Because nutrition is used as a fuel and substances that are needed by different parts of the body. For example, the body needs amino acids and many types of protein to perform its functions.
Metabolic disruptions can lead to serious disorders such as:
- Diabetes
- Gaucher’s disease
- Hemochromatosis
- Phenylketonuria
- Sickle cell anemia
- Cystic fibrosis
- Maple syrup urine disease
- Diabetes:
Diabetes is the most common metabolic disorder. Diabetes is a disorder that raises your blood sugar levels by making insulin hormone levels/functions impaired. According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 34 million people (about twice the population of New York) had diabetes in 2018, which makes up 11% of the total population of the US. The most common types of diabetes are:
- Type 1 diabetes
- Type 2 diabetes
In Type 1 diabetes, the body perceives the pancreas as a threat that makes the immune system start attacking the cells that produce insulin. People who have this condition need insulin injections to complete the insulin requirements to control blood sugar levels.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes. The body is unable to produce insulin or produces very little insulin which is not effective to manage blood sugar levels.
- Gaucher’s disease:
This is a rare genetic disorder that limits the production of glucocerebrosidase. This is an enzyme that helps to break a large molecule of glucocerebroside into sugar and fat molecules that causes the inability to feel pain, bone damage, accumulation of lipids, or even death. This disease is treated by hormone replacement therapy.
- Hemochromatosis:
It is a condition that affects the ways that the body absorbs iron. It can happen if a person has a gene mutation in the HHE gene, excessive iron in his diet, or blood transfusions. These are symptoms you might experience after iron buildups in the body:
- Joint pains
- Sexual difficulties
- Stomach pain
- Darkened skin
- Tiredness
- PKU:
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a condition when an infant is born without the ability to produce phenylalanine hydroxylase. It is an enzyme that helps to process amino acids. The body breaks down the excess amino acids and removes them. But people with this disease are not able to do it and it can lead to an accumulation of excess amino acids causing brain damage. Prompt treatment can prevent the conditions from getting worse.
- Sickle cell anemia:
This condition affects the shapes of red blood cells (which are used to carry oxygen to all parts of the body). Red blood cells are round (to move easily through blood vessels) but this disease changes their shapes to sickles or crescent moons which slow down the process or creates a block in the blood flow. There is no cure for this condition, but treatment can relieve some pain and help avoid further complications.
- Cystic fibrosis:
It is a disorder that is caused by defective genes (that pass down from generation to generation). It can damage your lungs, digestive tract, and other organs. This condition affects those cells that produce mucus, sweat, or digestive juices. There is no cure for this disorder, but treatment can help you to prevent its symptoms and complications and improve your life.
- Maple syrup urine disease:
This disorder disrupts the process of metabolism of certain amino acids that cause rapid degeneration of neurons. If treatment is not given, it leads to death in the first few months after birth. Treatment is given by limiting the branched-chain amino acids in the diet.
Metabolism is an important process that sustains your life. If any problems happen in metabolism, it affects many functions of the body. So, you must maintain your metabolism by eating healthy, working out regularly, taking proper sleep, and avoiding alcohol and smoking.
Want to know about other causes that can develop metabolism disorders? If you want to learn more about diet and nutrition, call us on 1-347-384-5690 to get a consultation. And if you’re in need of dietary advice, get a consultation, or walk in for an appointment at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11212. You can also visit our website to book an appointment online at https://doralhw.org or contact us at info@doralhw.org if you have any queries.