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Why does kwashiorkor often begin after a child is weaned from breast milk?

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rickets, a nutritional disease — nutritional disease Children with rickets. The disease, which most commonly strikes children, causes bone deformities such as bowlegs. Rickets is caused by a lack of vitamin D or calcium.

Kwashiorkor often develops after a child is weaned from breast milk because the child’s diet shifts from high-protein breast milk to a source consisting primarily of carbohydrates, such as cereal grains, cassava, plantains, or sweet potatoes.12

This transition typically occurs when a new sibling is born, leading to the older child being "deposed" from the mother's breast. Because these starchy, plant-based foods are often insufficient in protein, the child suffers from a severe protein deficiency. While the child may receive enough calories to survive, the lack of adequate protein intake prevents proper growth and development, resulting in the characteristic symptoms of the condition, such as edema (fluid retention), anemia, and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases.12