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Why can prolonged undernutrition cause atrophy throughout the body?

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atrophy One example of atrophy is the progressive loss of bone that occurs in osteoporosis (normal bone shown on left; osteoporotic bone shown on right).

Prolonged undernutrition causes widespread atrophy because it disrupts the metabolic processes necessary to maintain cellular and tissue structure. When the body lacks essential protein components, it begins to break down its own stored protein into amino acids. These amino acids are then utilized to provide energy and support the function of the most vital organs.1

This process leads to significant wasting in tissues such as fatty stores, the liver, spleen, and lymphoid tissues, which diminish more rapidly than the body as a whole. Furthermore, specific vitamin deficiencies exacerbate these effects; for instance, a lack of vitamin A contributes to the atrophy of skin, while a lack of vitamin E leads to increased atrophy of muscle tissue. While the body prioritizes essential organs like the brain and heart to survive starvation, the overall systemic depletion of resources inevitably results in generalized tissue reduction.1