White blood cells form an integral part of your immune system, helping your body both identify and destroy potentially dangerous particles. Low white blood cells — a condition called neutropenia — disarms your immune system, rendering you less able to fight infection and disease. In some cases, low white blood cells can develop due to nutritional deficiencies.
Cobalamin Deficiency
A deficiency in cobalamin — vitamin B-12 — can decrease your white blood cell count. Cobalamin helps activate a range of enzymes in your body, including enzymes required for DNA synthesis, a key step in the development of several cell types, including white blood cells. As a result, individuals with cobalamin deficiency experience a decrease in new blood cell production, leading to decreased numbers of blood cells. Deficiency of adenosylcobalamin — a specific form of vitamin B-12 — proves particularly harmful to your white blood cells, causing neutropenia, according to Washington University at St. Louis.
Copper Deficiency
Another nutrient deficiency that can affect your white blood cells is a copper deficiency. Copper has an effect on gene activation within your cells and tissues, helping to guide tissue growth and development. Though copper's specific role in white blood cell formation is not yet known, copper might activate genes required for white blood cell formation and contribute to the levels of white blood cells within your bloodstream. Copper deficiencies decrease your white blood cell count, increasing your risk of infection and disease.
Intake Recommendations
Your body requires a certain amount of copper and vitamin B-12 each day to prevent nutrient deficiencies. In general, you should daily consume 900 micrograms of copper and 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B-12, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Nuts, mushrooms and lentils provide sources of copper; eggs, meats and dairy products contain vitamin B-12; oysters, crab and clams provide a source of both nutrients.
Vitamins and Cancer-related Neutropenia
In some cases, taking vitamins can help reduce the effects of neutropenia. Low white blood cells present a health risk for many cancer patients: radiation and chemotherapy destroy the bone marrow from which white blood cells develop, leaving the cancer patient vulnerable to infection. In some cases, doctors might suspend or delay cancer treatment, if a patient's white blood count falls too low. A study published in "Cancer" in 2004 found that taking multivitamin supplements or specific vitamin E supplements could help treat neutropenia due to breast cancer treatment. However, you should never take vitamins without approval from your doctor, especially if you are already taking medication for an existing condition, like cancer. Talk to your doctor about the benefits of vitamin therapy for treating cancer-related neutropenia.
References
- Washington University at St. Louis; Vitamin & Nutrition Related Syndromes; 2011
- Linus Pauling Institute; Copper; Dr. Jane Higdon; April 2003
- "Cancer"; Effect Of Vitamin B12, Folate, And Dietary Supplements On Breast Carcinoma Chemotherapy--Induced Mucositis And Neutropenia; R.F. Branda, et al.; September 2004
