Category: Disability

Globally, nearly half of all deaths among children under five are linked to undernutrition. This highlights a stark reality: malnutrition can cause disability through devastating and often irreversible long-term health consequences. The issue, however, extends beyond just food scarcity, involving complex biological and social mechanisms that affect people of all ages.

According to a 2025 review in *Frontiers in Nutrition*, spinal cord injury patients often face significant nutritional alterations, including energy balance changes and micronutrient deficiencies. This makes understanding how paralysis affects nutrition crucial for managing long-term health and preventing complications like metabolic dysfunction and bone loss.

According to the World Health Organization, malnutrition includes undernutrition, overweight, obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies, and significantly contributes to disablement and death worldwide. This complex health issue, often linked with chronic illnesses or extreme circumstances, can lead to disabling conditions, raising the question: is malnutrition a disability?

Contrary to a simple yes or no answer, a person's metabolic rate and caloric needs can be significantly impacted by a disability. A wheelchair user, for example, often burns fewer calories at rest than an able-bodied person, while an amputee expends considerably more energy walking with a prosthetic. So, **do disabled people burn more calories**? The answer is nuanced, depending heavily on the specific condition and activity level.

Research indicates that people with disabilities are disproportionately affected by food insecurity and poorer nutritional outcomes compared to the general population. These disparities are often a result of systemic and individual obstacles that prevent access to and preparation of healthy meals, highlighting the complex barriers to a good healthy diet for people with disability.

For individuals with limited mobility, metabolic rate can naturally slow down, making weight management and maintaining energy levels a significant challenge. Learning **how to speed up metabolism when disabled** requires a holistic, long-term approach that focuses on tailored nutritional strategies, functional movement, and optimized lifestyle habits.