👀We are witnessing a surge in gut and autoimmune health issues along with lot of chronic low grade inflammatory conditions, be it pain, neurodegeneration, cardiometabolic diseases, low muscle health or even cancer!
What’s common here? Why is gut health bad?
Earlier, among foods, protein scarcity was common among low-resource families, especially in children causing Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM). Today, the problem has flipped: excess availability of food but poor quality, due to high industrialization and aggressive marketing of the inorganic food.
This compels the farmers to switch from organic fertilizers to inorganic ones. This in turn seeps deep into soil, depleting its fertility thus encouraging the growth of “inorganic” crops.
Today people have blinded by the taste-driven choice of foods. Processed carbs and fats dominate, while proteins and nutrient-rich foods take a back seat.
👉🏻👈🏻The Missing Link: Protein
The trend that I noticed is low urea and creatinine and albumin/prealbuminin people who “barely” have any condition when they visit a clinic or they may have every other problem but “gut” as their primary complaint.
When we probe deeper into the clinical picture, correlate with their food habits and lifestyle the following concerns unfurl –
- Chronic fatigue
- Loss of lean muscle despite normal BMI.
- Sugar cravings (body seeking quick energy).
- Poor exercise tolerance.
- Menstrual irregularities in women.
- “Puffy” look due to low albumin but not overt malnutrition.
🧐Clinical Signs of Subtle Protein Insufficiency(to name a few):
- Musculoskeletal: muscle wasting (sarcopenia), poor wound healing, edema, fatigue.
2. Skin/Hair/Nails: dry skin, brittle/depigmented hair (“flag sign”), hair loss, brittlenails.
3. Gastrointestinal: poor appetite, bloating, indigestion, fatty liver (impaired apolipoprotein synthesis).
4. Immune/Hematologic: frequent infections, delayed recovery, anemia.
5. Neurological: brain fog, irritability, neuropathy (due to cofactor deficiencies).
6. Metabolic/Endocrine: hypoalbuminemia, low IGF-1, hormonal imbalance, edema/ascites in severe cases.
🥜Protein indigestion & protein loss across generations:
- Indigestion:
- Many people don’t break down protein efficiently due to low stomach acid, gut dysbiosis, pancreatic insufficiency, or aging (decline in digestive enzymes).
- This leads to bloating, putrefaction, and malabsorption.
- Protein loss:
- Kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic infections, or autoimmune conditions all lead to protein wasting.
- Historically, undernutrition (kwashiorkor, marasmus) was seen in children in low-resource settings.
- Today, “hidden” protein insufficiency occurs despite enough calories because diets are carb-heavy and ultra-processed.
So, across generations, the issue has shifted from scarcity of protein (in the past) → inefficient digestion/absorption or poor-quality protein intake (today).
😌Final Words:
Organic food and functional nutrition are no longer luxuries but necessities to counteract the depletion caused by modern living.
“We need to return to being organisms nourished by nature, rather than consumers stuffed with inorganics.”
Written by Dr Shobhitha Tantry B