Vitamin Deficiency
- Author :
- TATA AIG Team
- ●
- Last Updated On :
- 14/05/2024
It is crucial to have a balanced diet filled with ample vitamins that help to boost bodily functions. Deficiency is faced due to a lack of proper dietary intake, malabsorption, or other underlying medical conditions; therefore, symptoms and side effects communicate this lack in the form of deficiency. Various vitamins help with different functions in the body; therefore, maintaining the right kind of balance will ensure good health. Fortunately, vitamin deficiency can be fought by changing diet, including the right supplements in diet and other medical interventions.
Through this article, we shall see various vitamin deficiencies and symptoms shown by the body due to deficiency and proper treatment for the same.
Types of Vitamins and their Deficiency
The types of vitamin deficiency one can face are as follows-
Vitamin B7
B vitamin or Vitamin B7, commonly known as biotin, supports the body in converting food into energy. Biotin deficiency can lead to weakening, thinning, or splitting of hair and nails.
Signs of Vitamin deficiency with Regard to B7
- Weakening, thinning, or splitting of hair and nails
- Fatigue
- Muscle Pain
- Cramps
- Tingling in the hands and feet
Causes of B7 Vitamin Deficiency
Usually, pregnant women, chain smokers or drinkers, and people with stomach disorders like Crohn's disease are at the most significant risk of developing biotin deficiency.
Another reason could be the prolonged use of antibiotics and some anti-seizure medications.
Having raw eggs in your diet.
Having PCOD issues.
Treatment for B7 Vitamin Deficiency
You can get a healthy diet plan with biotin-rich food like egg yolks, fish, meat (organ meats), dairy, seeds, healthy nuts, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, yeast, sweet potatoes, grains, and bananas.
You can also include a supplement in your routine that provides about 30 micrograms of biotin per day with a doctor's recommendation.
Vitamin B1, B2, and B6
A deficiency in thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), and pyridoxine (vitamin B6) or Vitamin B2 can result in Ulcers in the mouth or cracks.
There is also a condition known as angular cheilitis, where patients show symptoms of crack, split, or bleeding in the corner of the mouth that causes excess salivation or dehydration. This is due to insufficiency in iron and B vitamins, particularly riboflavin.
Treatment for Ulcers in the Mouth or Cracks
You can get a healthy diet with iron-rich food such as poultry, meat, fish, legumes, dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
Include sources of thiamine, pyridoxine, and riboflavin, like poultry, rich whole grains, meat (organ meat), dairy, eggs with yolks, fish, legumes, high in starch vegetables, green-healthy vegetables, seeds and nuts etc., in your daily diet.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C plays a vital role in wound healing, and it even acts as an antioxidant, supporting the prevention of damage to cells.
However, one must understand that our body cannot make vitamin C, so diet is the only way to get it. A study performing a routine check of a healthy population showed low vitamin C levels of 13–30% in 5–17% of the population.
Gum bleeding can be caused due to rough tooth brushing, but the leading cause of gum bleeding is the lack of vitamin C in our body.
Symptoms of Severe C Vitamin Deficiency
- Tooth Loss and bleeding
- Depressing immune system
- Weakens muscles and bones
- Fatigued and lethargic
- Easy Bruising
- Slow wound healing
- Dry skin
- Frequent nose bleed
Treatment for C Vitamin Deficiency Symptoms
- You can beat Vitamin C deficiencies by including enough daily fruits and vegetables in your diet.
- You can quickly get over low vitamin symptoms by eating at least 2-3 pieces of fruit and healthy portions of vegetables daily.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A deficiency is often related to a condition known as night blindness, which diminishes a person's ability to see in low light or darkness. Therefore it is essential to include vitamin A in your diet plan as it aids in creating rhodopsin, a pigment found in the retinas of the eyes that helps you gain visibility at night.
If not treated can lead to night blindness and progress to xerophthalmia, a disorder that can damage the cornea and eventually lead to blindness. In addition, the deficiency of vitamins causes early symptoms of xerophthalmia in Bitot's spots, which are slightly raised, foamy, white growths that emerge on the conjunctiva or white portion of the eyes.
Symptoms of A Vitamins and their Deficiency
- Nausea,
- Headaches,
- Skin irritation,
- Joint and bone pain and,
- Severe cases, even coma or death
Treatment for Vitamins A and their Deficiency
- You can get a healthy diet with more vitamin-A-rich foods like organic meats, dairy, eggs, fish, dark leafy greens, and yellow-orange coloured vegetables, etc.
- It's best to avoid taking vitamin A supplements until and unless diagnosed with vitamin deficiency and symptoms, as vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, which, when taken in excess, can accumulate in the body's fat stores and become toxic.
Conclusion
One can easily prevent any deficiency by systematically maintaining a healthy and balanced diet. Also, one can go for supplements wherever necessary, but it is essential to consult a doctor for a recommendation. With proper optimisation of nutritional intake, one can easily beat any deficiency and take proper control of their overall health condition.
Furthermore, health insurance can be helpful if some deficiency turns into severe health conditions. If you still have not alreayd, it surely is the time you buy health insurance online from Tata AIG. Medical insurance policies make you eligible for health insurance tax benefits, which can further help ease any financial burden on top of covering your medical expenses.
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