Why do starving children have bloated stomachs?
In prolonged undernutrition where the protein deficit is relatively greater than the carbohydrate/lipid deficit, people develop a state of edema known as kwashiorkor. Due to severe lack of protein throughout the body, and in particular, the bloodstream, there is less osmotic force to keep fluid in the vessel, and it escapes into the tissues, causing a bloated, swollen belly (there are tons of blood vessels in the gut region, and hence, an abundant supply of blood vessels from which fluid can be sapped). In other words, it’s not what most people consider a “belly” in that it’s not due to fat at all–it’s due to excess fluid. If prolonged undernutrition of all nutrients occurs equally (more or less), then chances are that you will see marasmus instead, which is what most people expect: highly emaciated figures. More info: http://www.britannica.com/EBchec… https://health.google.com/health… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwa…
