Question

How can poor nutrition affect individual cell functions?

Answer 1

Answer:

Nutritional imbalance is a major challenge for living organisms to achieve systemic homeostasis and maintain normal physiology. Mammals have developed processes to control systemic nutrient utilization and storage. For example, excess nutrients are converted and stored in adipose tissue, liver, and muscle during times when nutrients are abundant. By contrast, stored nutrients are metabolized to provide energy and building blocks to maintain vital physiological processes when nutrient availability is low.

From these processes, adipose tissue volume changes in response to under- or overnutrition. This change in adipose tissue volume, in turn, influences the secretion of hormones and cytokines from adipose tissue (adipocytokines). Many of these adipocytokines have important immune signaling functions which can influence immune cell biology and alter the immune response.