What Are the Effects of a Bad Diet?

A good diet is so important the U.S. Federal Government has offered dietary recommendations to its citizens since the 1930's when it published a guide to meal-planning for low-income families during the depression. The new food pyramid and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are contemporary examples of these dietary recommendations. Bad diets cause nutrient deficiencies which can cause symptoms as simple as a headache or as morbid as death.

Fad Diets: Fad diets do not offer a means of healthy, long-term weight loss, according to Medline Plus a National Institutes of Health Website. It cautions fad diets that do not involve lifestyle changes, including adding exercise to your weekly routine, can lead to rebound weight gain. Gaining back all of, or more than, the weight you lost is called rebound weight gain. Fad diets that call for drastic calorie reduction can harm the growth and development of children and teens. The effects of a bad fad diet vary according to the weight loss trend you choose to follow. For example a high protein low carb diet may put you at risk for kidney stones and bone loss according to information provided by Eastern Illinois University.

Iron Deficient Diets: People in developing countries suffer from the effects of a bad diet every day. An iron deficiency is the most widespread and common nutritional disorder on the planet and afflicts 30 percent of the world's population, according to the World Health Organization. It causes anemia, a low red blood cell count. Effects of anemia include shortness of breath, fatigue and heart palpitations. An iron deficiency in pregnant women manifests as poor pregnancy outcome as well as impaired physical and cognitive fetal development. The worldwide prevalence of an iron deficient diet has economic effects as well because anemic fatigue affects the productivity of students and workers.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency: A bad diet with an insufficient amount of vitamin B12 can also cause anemia. An unbalanced vegetarian diet can cause this condition as well as poor nutrition during infancy and inadequate nutrient intake by the mother. Vegetarian diets deficient in animal products such as pork, beef, fowl, shellfish, eggs and dairy products may have trouble obtaining enough vitamin B12. According to Medline Plus the short term effects of the lack of vitamin B12 include diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, bleeding gums and problems concentrating. It warns long term effects include nerve damage that may cause depression, numbness of extremities, confusion, dementia and loss of balance.

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