Your body needs vitamins and minerals to grow and develop. According to the National Institutes of Health, there are 13 vitamins and various minerals that your body needs on a daily basis, ranging from vitamin A to zinc. While your daily requirements of most vitamins and minerals can be acquired through a healthy diet, there are some conditions like diseases, medications and even genetics which can reduce specific vitamin levels and cause vitamin deficiencies.
Diseases
Crohn's disease, which causes inflammation in the digestive tract, affects the absorption of vitamins and minerals throughout your body. Celiac disease is another digestive disease that interferes with vitamin and mineral absorption from food due to damages in the small intestine. If you have Celiac disease, you are also gluten intolerant, and because many vitamin and mineral supplements contain gluten, this limits how you can supplement your levels.
Medications
Many different medications for a variety of different health conditions are capable of reducing your vitamin and mineral level. Anti-seizure medications such as phenobarbital or Dilantin cause the liver to remove vitamin D, which results in deficiency. Medications for high cholesterol, such as Questran and Colestid, as well as the weight-loss medication Alli, affect the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins -- A, D, E and K. If you are taking any of these medications, it is important to talk with your doctor about vitamin supplementation.
Genetics
For some people, a deficiency in certain vitamins or minerals is hard to prevent no matter what they do or have done. For them, genetics plays a role in their deficiency levels. A June 2010 study in "The Lancet" showed that certain genetic variants affected the concentrations of a vitamin D binding protein and can lead to vitamin D deficiencies. According to the National Anemia Action Council, small variations in a person's genes can cause anemia. Anemia ia a condition in which blood lacks healthy cells. A deficiency of the mineral iron can contribute to anemia, in which the lack of iron contributes to the inability to produce healthy blood cells.
Unhealthy Diet
Probably the biggest contributor to vitamin and mineral deficiencies is the standard American diet, which is high in processed and chemically treated foods. Many essential minerals come from the soil and fresh-grown produce. Due to over-cultivation, many of the soils in which produce is grown have been depleted of these natural minerals. The addition of additives, artificial coloring and preservatives destroy the natural nutrients in food as well as impair the body's absorption of them. Eating a diet high in fresh, organic fruits and vegetables and avoiding processed foods is essential for a diet rich in the vitamins and minerals you need for optimal health.
References
- MedicinePlus:Vitamins
- Teens Health: Vitamins and Minerals
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse; Crohn's Disease; February 2006
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse; Celiac Disease; September 2008
- PDRhealth: What is Questran?
- "The Lancet"; Common Genetic Determinants of Vitamin D Insufficiency; A Genome-Wide Association Study; Thomas J. Wang, MD et al; June 10, 2010
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