Distal Wasting

'Distal wasting' is a colloquial Valespeak term for malnutrition caused by a person attempting to subsist on a (usually indigestible) diet of Distal Tesseract flora and fauna.

Causes

Most Distal life operates on the basis of amino acids with the opposite chirality of that found in terrestrial creatures found under the Manifold Sky. As a result, most terrestrial cells cannot easily metabolice organic materials produced by Distal life, with consequences ranging from simply being unable to use these materials for sustenance to actively experiencing toxic or anaphylactic shock on close exposure.

Symptoms

The first signs of Distal wasting that most sufferers notice are weight loss, low energy, nausea, diarrhea, and a reduced resistance to cold weather. Sensations of fullness may be achieved with Distal foods, but overall satiety is reduced due to a lack of digestible cholesterol. Additionally, sufferers may also experience a febrile response to Distal foods, as the immune system regards these materials as foreign bodies - though, as Distal viruses and bacteria are similarly Distal in biochemical makeup, their actual ability to colonize a host and cause disease are extremely limited. Those with particularly sensitive immune systems may go on to develop anaphylaxis, and, as such, ingesting significant quanitites of Distal foodstuffs may be considered a medical emergency in those with other common food allergies.
In all other respects, Distal wasting follows the normal course of malnutrition, with scurvy and beri-beri being common variants for those who only substitute certain food groups for Distal food items.

Treatment

Nutrient supplementation, including the provision of healthy foodstuffs of terrestrial origin, is the only sure cure for Distal wasting. In acute cases, care must be exercised to prevent refeeding syndrome, though sufferers are less likely to be hungry enough for this to be an issue than others who suffer from malnutrition.

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Uncommon