What’s the science behind this?
In: Biology
This is known as Marasmus-Kwashikor; Marasmus is inadequate energy and protein intake (what most people visualize as malnourishment), and Kwashiorkor which is adequate energy intake but not enough protein intake.
The people with bloated stomachs have Kwashiorkor malnutrition. This happens because the only intake they have is food that is poor in protein, like grains and breast milk. What happens is that the body needs to compensate for the low protein by producing its own in the form of albumin, a protein produced by the liver. However, the primary use of albumin is to maintain a fluid balance between your tissues and bloodstream.
Without getting overly complicated, the albumin is taken up by the tissues, mostly in the abdominal region, causing fluid to enter the tissues as well. This is what creates the bloating that you see.
Latest Answers