Could You Have a Vitamin Deficiency?
When we think about vitamin deficiencies, most of us picture malnourished children in parts of Africa. We’ve all seen photographs of these pitiful children, bellies huge, limbs wasting away. These children, whose diets often consist of one or two foods that do not make up a complete protein let alone provide them with the basic vitamins and minerals necessary for growth and development, have clearly noticeable pathologies. Their giant bellies are often a sign of the disease known as Kwashiorkor, most likely caused by deficiencies not only of protein but also of anti-oxidants and other essential nutrients. Victims develop other signs and symptoms of vitamin and mineral deficiency, including swollen feet, thinning hair, skin conditions, and loss of teeth.
In the United States in the 21st century, we don’t worry much about such severe malnutrition syndromes, though certainly some of our poorest citizens suffer from insufficient diets and malnutrition. Even in the U.S., children make up nearly 50% of the population living in poverty.
However, though most of us are aware of these statistics, how many of us stop to consider that we, living in one of the most affluent nations in history, surrounded by “super sized” meals, “full meal deals,” and enough excess that we throw away at least one quarter of all the food we buy, could have nutrient deficiencies? We do.
How could a nation so rich, with food so plentiful, have any vitamin deficiencies? There are many reasons. Some of us live on fast food or other “junk” foods which, even if “enriched,” are poor sources of many nutrients. Some of us guzzle soda pop or other “empty” calories, which not only fail to provide us with any nutrition, but actually have been found to deplete our bodies of nutrients we need (calcium, for example). Many of us have compromised digestive systems which aren’t able to adequately absorb the nutriment from the good foods we do eat (see my other articles on food allergies, Celiac disease, IBS, and good fats for more in depth discussions of the symptoms of a poorly performing digestive system). For these and other reasons, many of us are suffering from at least mild vitamin or mineral deficiencies and don’t even suspect our symptoms may be related to such causes. Below are just a few of the symptoms that may indicate you have a vitamin or mineral deficiency.
Please note: Since most of us do not suffer from severe deficiencies, subtle symptoms of deficiency will be the focus of this article. The lists below are not intended to be all-inclusive, but reflect some of the most common deficiencies seen in our culture, and some of the symptoms you may experience.
DEFICIENCIES
Vitamin B-12: anemia, numbness and tingling of hands and feet, difficulty walking, poor muscle coordination, memory loss, disorientation, hallucinations, mood changes, dementia, neuropathy, sore tongue, loss of appetite, constipation, heart disease (high levels of homocysteine). Vitamin B-12 deficiency is under-diagnosed in the elderly, and is not uncommon in those with bowel diseases like Celiac’s, Crohn’s and IBS.
Vitamin B-6: irritability, depression, confusion, inflammation of the tongue, mouth ulcers, neuropathy, PMS-like symptoms, dermatitis, seizures, anemia.
Iron: anemia, fatigue, weakness, anorexia, pica (desire to eat non-food items like dirt, chalk, soap, paint, etc), sore tongue, nail spooning, lowered immunity, brittle nails, canker sores, hair loss, impaired mental ability.
Zinc: infertility, poor growth in children, enlarged prostate, anemia, decreased taste sensation, decreased sense or total loss of smell, poor wound healing, hair loss, sore tongue, mouth sores, eczema, psoriasis, acne, night blindness, pica (described above), chronic yeast infections, lowered immunity, hang nails, inflamed cuticles, poor nail growth, dandruff, arthritis.
Folic acid: anemia, fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, sore tongue, diarrhea, irritability, forgetfulness, dizziness, headache, palpitations, depression, dementia, peripheral neuropathy, heart disease (high levels of homocysteine).
Vitamin D: osteopenia, osteoporosis, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, muscle pain, migraines, PCOS, lowered immunity, cancers, problems with balance (especially in the elderly), psoriasis, osteomalacia (which has signs including burning mouth and throat, bone pain, nervousness, diarrhea and insomnia).
Calcium: osteopenia, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, muscle spasms, hypertension, periodontal disease, hyperactivity, anxiety, insomnia, pica (described above).
Magnesium: fatigue, irritability, weakness, muscle tightness or spasms, menstrual cramps, high blood pressure, heart disease, nerve conditions, anorexia, insomnia, sugar cravings, poor nail growth, anxiety, constipation. Magnesium deficiency is actually quite common in Western cultures, since magnesium in food is found primarily in whole, unprocessed foods.
Because symptoms of various deficiencies overlap, it is important not to treat yourself based solely on symptoms. It is strongly recommended that testing for deficiencies be done before supplementation occurs, especially if high doses of single nutrients are taken. Many nutrients are known to compete for absorption in the body, and high doses of one may artificially induce a deficiency in another. This is why our nation’s high consumption of soda pop (which contains a lot of phosphorous) depletes calcium; there has been a huge increase in diagnosis of osteopenia and osteoporosis in teens and young adults. As another example, anemia may be caused by a deficiency of iron, folic acid, B-12 and occasionally B-6. Taking folic acid may appear to correct a B-12 deficient anemia on laboratory results, but doesn’t correct the actual deficiency, which can lead to irreversible neurological damage.
In our well-fed culture, vitamin & mineral deficiencies are not commonly suspected. However, in addition to the causes listed above, certain lifestyle choices can contribute to deficiencies, either because they cause decreased absorption of nutrients, or because they increase the body’s need for certain vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Among lifestyle choices that can contribute to deficiencies are smoking, drug use and consumption of alcohol (generally in high doses). Stress and environmental toxins also contribute!
It is beyond the scope of this article to include every deficiency you may have. I have tried to include those I see most commonly in practice. Others that are not uncommon in our culture include deficiencies of selenium and some of the “trace minerals.”