Is it true that thin people that have a large belly could be deficiency of protein?

A child that is short of protein over several weeks and months develops kwashiorkor – with very thin limbs and a swollen abdomen. This is because fluid accumulates in the abdominal cavity because of the imbalance of protein in its diet – and this contrasts with its very thin limbs, which are wasting away as the muscles themselves are digested to be used for energy.

This is typically a disease of impoverishedcountries often seen in the midst of drought or political turmoil. However, one government estimate suggests that as many as 50 percent of elderly persons in rest homes in the U.S. suffer from protein-calorie malnutrition.