Malnutrition caused by a physiological change or malfunction is known as what?

The correct term for malnutrition caused by a physiological change or malfunction is cachexia. This condition is characterized by significant weight loss, muscle wasting, and a decline in overall physical health that is often associated with chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart failure, or chronic infections. Unlike simple lack of appetite or dietary deficiency, cachexia involves metabolic disturbances where the body not only loses fat but also muscle mass. This muscle wasting is a direct result of the body's response to illness, leading to an increased breakdown of muscle proteins and altering nutrient metabolism.

In contrast, anorexia refers to a loss of appetite and can stem from various causes, but it does not necessarily involve the physiological impacts of chronic diseases like cachexia does. Bulimia typically involves episodes of binge eating followed by purging behaviors, which also differs fundamentally from cachexia's underlying physiological basis. Emacia, while it may suggest a form of nourishment deficiency, is not a clinically recognized term in the context of malnutrition and does not convey the specific physiological mechanisms involved in diseases that lead to cachexia.