Vitamin Deficiencies & Disease

Vitamin deficiencies are associated with a myriad of diseases and medical conditions. Eating a balanced diet of nutrient-dense foods and calories can enhance your nutritional intake of vitamins and reduce your risk of disease. Conversely, when you eat a diet of fast and processed foods or skip meals, you increase your risk of vitamin deficiencies. It's always best to consult with your doctor or nutritionist about your health and dietary intake of vitamins before embarking on any major diet changes or supplement regimens.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin your body needs for vision, reproduction, immune function and bone growth. Vitamin A deficiency is the primary cause of preventable blindness in children and night blindness and risk of maternal death in pregnant women. A deficiency may increase your risk of infectious diseases, such as measles and death. Eating fruits and vegetables and taking supplements can increase your vitamin A intake.

Folate

Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin found in dark green leafy vegetables, whereas folic acid is a synthetic form of folate added to fortified foods and supplements. Your body needs folate to produce DNA and RNA and grow new cells. A deficiency of folate is common, particularly among pregnant women and people with malabsorption, on kidney dialysis or who take certain medications, such as anticonvulsants. Pregnant women who are vitamin B-12 deficient have an increased risk of giving birth to infants who are premature or have neural tube defects that cause spina bifida, a disease characterized by malformations of the spine, skull and brain. Children with a folate deficiency can have stunted growth. A folate deficiency can also cause diarrhea and cardiovascular disease.

Vitamin B-12

Vitamin B-12, also called cobalamin, is essential for red blood cells and neurological function. A vitamin B-12 deficiency is common, particularly among vegans and the elderly. Research by scientists at Mahidol University in Thailand and published in "The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging" in March 2011 found that vitamin B-12 deficiency is under-recognized among the elderly and can cause neurological damage, osteoporosis, anemia, and cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases. The scientists found that clinical abnormalities, such as a lack of ankle jerk reflex, that physicians commonly consider to be due to aging are in fact associated with a vitamin B-12 deficiency.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency is a global epidemic that affects both genders and all age groups. Vitamin D is essential for growth and maintenance of healthy bones and teeth, the immune system, skin and hair. Yet the vitamin is found in few foods, such as fish liver oil, organ meats and fortified foods. Most humans produce vitamin D after getting sufficient skin exposure to the ultraviolet rays of sunlight, but many people do not get sufficient exposure or cover the skin with sunscreen, which may block the chemical process of producing the vitamin. Vitamin D deficiency may cause rickets, osteomalacia, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, prostate and colon cancer, and diabetes, according to research by scientists at the University of Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil and published in the journal "Brazilian Archives of Endocrinology and Metabolism" in August 2006.