
Effects of Overnutrition
What is Overnutrition ?
Definition of overnutrition :
Overnutrition is a state of nutrition in which one or more of the components of a healthy diet are consumed to excess such that adverse medical effects of that excessive intake are apparent and measureable.
As also applies to undernutrition, overnutrition can be general or specific (i.e. due to over-consumption of just one vitamin or mineral, e.g. due to a 'fad diet').
Dietary excesses can lead to various medical conditions and diseases. The actual consequences of any particular dietary intake depend on which components of the diet are being (or have been) consumed to excess, and to what extent.
Overnutrition can be either:
- General, i.e. due to excessive amounts of food of any or all types, leading to obesity and the many life-threatening conditions associated with it (see causes of obesity and health risks of obesity).
- Specific, i.e. excess of of a single nutrient e.g. a single vitamin or mineral. The health consequences of such excess depend on the nutrient and the severity of the excess. Different medical conditions, hence different symptoms and risks, follow from different excesses. See effects of overnutrition.
The most common consequence of overnutrition, or 'over-eating' in general is obesity.
However, even people of a healthy weight (or who are under-weight) can experience adverse effects of 'overnutrition' as a result of consuming an excessive amount of a single nutrient, e.g. a vitamin or mineral. That can happen for various reasons such as:
- Only having access to a limited range of foods hence consuming too much of some dietary components as well as, perhaps, not enough of others.
- Having a healthy diet and lifestyle and also consuming unnecessary dietary supplements such that the combination of food and supplement intake result in an overall dangerous excess of one or more nutrients. This can be a particular risk when taking several different types of supplements without studying the labels carefully to ensure that the combination is appropriate for the person.
- 'Fad diets', meaning extreme eating regimes which are often promoted with claims about achieving desired goals, e.g. for weight loss, in a very short time, can be unsafe if they involve consuming excessive quantities of a limited range of foods. Such regimes can place people at risk from excessive amounts of some nutrients as well as from undernutrition diseases.
List of signs of excessive intake of some common vitamins and minerals:
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Note: This page mentions some of the consequences of excessive consumption of certain nutrients that should be included, in the correct proportions, in a healthy balanced diet. That is very different from the consequences of consumption of other substances, including some chemical elements, that are not essential as part of a healthy diet and should not be consumed at all.
See also carbohydrates, types of sugar, dietary fibre (roughage), fatty acids, fats and proteins.