Depression and stress may arise from a lack of nutrients or cause nutritional deficiencies. Symptoms of depression or anxiety from stress can lead to a loss of appetite. Your moods may also change when you don't get proper nutrition. Knowing what...
Fasciculations is just another name for muscle twitches. When a muscle suddenly, yet involuntarily contracts, it's felt as a spontaneous twitching or spasm. Most are relatively minor, sometimes even going unnoticed. Major contractions, however,...
Traditional Chinese medicine dates back thousands of years and is still not completely understood by Western medical practitioners. In Chinese medicine, your spleen is not an organ, but a system of energy that takes what you eat and drink and...
Cancer accounted for 13 percent of all deaths worldwide in 2008, according to the World Health Organization. The projected death toll from this disease will rise to over 11 million by the year 2030. While many cancers manifest as a result of...
White blood cells, along with red blood cells and platelets, are one of the three key types of cells found in your blood. These play a key role in your body's immune system, and a low white blood cell count makes it harder to fight off infections....
Iron is an essential mineral for the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Your body cannot make iron, so you must obtain it from food sources. If you do not consume sufficient iron from your diet, your body will use stored iron. When...
The Zone diet uses the glycemic index to control blood sugar with the belief that it will help you lose weight. It suggests consuming 40 percent carbs and 30 percent each of fat and protein to make up your daily energy needs. The diet advocates...
Iodine deficiency is a lack of the trace mineral iodine in the body. According to the World Health Organization, iodine deficiency is the leading cause of preventable brain damage and mental retardation worldwide. Because your body cannot make...
Hyponatremia is a deficiency of sodium in your blood. It is an electrolyte imbalance that causes several symptoms. Doctors treat it based on the underlying cause. Regardless of your doctor's initial intervention, ongoing treatment focuses on...
Potassium is an essential mineral. Potassium deficiency, or hypokalemia, can cause serious health problems and be life threatening. A healthy diet can provide all the potassium a person needs to prevent and treat hypokalemia, but in some cases a...
Renal deficiency means a decreased kidney function. The kidneys release hormones, control blood pressure, fluid levels, electrolytes, acids and regulate waste disposal. Renal deficiency can range from noticeable only on laboratory tests to...
Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin. The main sign of deficiency is hemorrhage, which can lead to fatal anemia. The underlying cause is increased clotting time. Deficiency is rare, but has been seen in individuals who have difficulty absorbing...
A serotonin deficiency is literally no laughing matter. Serotonin is one of the chemicals in your brain that promotes a sense of well-being and keeps you from experiencing symptoms of depression. Thankfully, you can alter your eating habits to get...
Methionine is a special sulfur-containing amino acid that, like all other amino acids, forms the building blocks of proteins. It also has a number of unique functions. For example, it helps in the regulation of gene expression and the synthesis of...
Diet is not necessarily a regimen intended to aid in weight loss. Diet refers to your daily food and drink intake. Proper dieting and nutrition with adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals are essential to maintaining good health. A...
Most historical and contemporary Irish diets fully meet human nutritional requirements. As Leslie Clarkson and Margaret Crawford note, "The Irish were not a people born to famine. Indeed, ours is almost a non-famine history." Yet political and...
Iron deficiency anemia is a type of anemia characterized by inadequate levels of iron in your red blood cells' hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the body's tissues. Thus, people with iron deficiency...
Anemia is a condition marked by a lower than normal concentrations of hemoglobin, which reduces the body's ability to transport oxygen. Iron deficiency is one of the most common causes of anemia. It is characterized by an inadequate number of...
Food sources of vitamin A are abundant in Western and developed countries, but in parts of the globe where poverty is widespread and access to a variety of food is limited, vitamin A deficiency is a real problem. Nepal is one of those places....
Iodine is an essential trace mineral that your body requires for the formation of thyroid hormones. Iodine deficiency is only half as common as it was 10 years ago, but 54 countries remain iodine deficient, according to the World Health...
Vitamin B-6, or pyridoxine, is a water-soluble vitamin that your body uses for protein metabolism and more than 100 other enzyme reactions. Although a vitamin B-6 deficiency is relatively rare in the United States, people with certain chronic...
Although iodine deficiency is rare in developed countries such as Canada and the United States, it can cause serious problems especially in pregnant women. The National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information Clearinghouse estimates that...
Minerals are inorganic substances that are present in the cells of both animals and plants. They also are naturally found in the earth. In humans, minerals are typically stored in bone and muscle tissues, according to Phyllis Balch, author of...
Eating a balanced diet is the best way to ensure you are getting all the necessary vitamins each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Low-fat diets may be popular for weight loss, but cutting off all fat in your diet...
A gluten-free diet requires eliminating wheat and many grain-based foods, which constitute one of the main source of fiber and carbohydrates in the American diet in addition to providing important vitamins and minerals. You need to completely...
Polyamines are proteins that contain two or more amino groups; they exist in small amounts in all human, plant and animal cells. Polyamines fall into a category of proteins called "biogenic amines" and play an important part in the growth,...
Most people in the U.S. do not get enough daily servings of fruits and vegetables, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since fruits provide so many vitamins, minerals and nutrients that are essential for health, it can be...
G6PD deficiency occurs when your body does not produce adequate amounts of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, an enzyme that assists proper red blood cell function. This inherited condition affects about 400 million people worldwide, according to...
In general, North Americans and most Europeans consume protein-rich diets, consisting of moderate to high levels of meat products, dairy and vegetable sources, such as soybeans. A protein-deficient diet is much more common in third-world...
Biotin is a water soluble B-complex vitamin important for synthesizing fatty and amino acids and maintaining blood sugar. Try these tips for buying biotin enriched foods in this healthy shopping video.
Scurvy results from a vitamin C deficiency and leads to bleeding gums, tooth loss, purplish spots, and potentially death. Learn more about scurvy in this medical video.
Diet is often related to anemia, which is an iron deficiency. It can lead to fatigue, irritability, or headaches. Learn more about diets for anemia in this nutrition video.
Vitamin B-6 is an important vitamin for metabolizing amino acids and for releasing sugars from glycogen in the body. Try these tips for buying foods rich in vitamin B-6 in this healthy shopping video.
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for humans, which are one of the few organisms that cannot produce their own vitamin C. Try these tips for buying foods rich in vitamin C in this healthy shopping video.
