Overnutrition

Overnutrition is a form of malnutrition in which nutrients are oversupplied relative to the amounts required for normal growth, development, and metabolism. Overnutrition is a type of malnutrition where there are more nutrients than required for normal growth.

The term can refer to:

• obesity, brought on by general overeating of foods high in caloric content, as well as:
• the oversupply of a specific nutrient or categories of nutrients, such as mineral or vitamin poisoning, due to excessive intake of dietary supplements or foods high in nutrients (such as liver), or nutritional imbalances caused by various fad diets.

For mineral excess, see:

• Iron poisoning, and
• low sodium diet (excess sodium).

References

The Merck Manual - Malnutrition