Food Deficiency Diseases Archives

Vitamins and Minerals – Deficiency Diseases

Deficiency of Vitamins
Table lists some important vitamins and their sources, functions, deficiency diseases, and symptoms.

Vitamin and sources	Function	Deficiency disease	Symptoms
A Sources: Green leafy vegetables, fruits, butter, egg yolk, carrots, and fish	Keeps eyes, hair, and skin healthy	Night blindness	Dryness of eyes; improper vision
B1 Sources: Eggs, whole grains, and sprouts	Aids in digestion; maintains nervous system	Beriberi	Inflammation of nerves; digestive problems and heart abnormalities
B2 Sources: Eggs, milk, and green leafy vegetables	Keeps skin and mouth healthy	Skin disorders	Irritation of eyes; skin and intestinal disorders; inflammation of the tongue
B12 Sources: Meat	Formation of red blood cells	Anaemia	Pale skin; lack of stamina and appetite; frequent headaches
C Sources: Citrus fruits like lime, orange, and lemon; tomatoes and sprouts	Helps to resist infections and keeps teeth, gums, and joints healthy	Scurvy	Loosening of teeth; spongy and bleeding gums; increased susceptibility to diseases; slow healing of wounds; weakness; pain in the limbs
D, Sources: Milk, fish, and eggs; sunlight	Aids in the normal growth of bones in children	Rickets	Weak bones; joint and bone deformities like bow legs and pigeon chest; softening of ribs; protruding abdomen
K Sources: Spinach, cabbage, or any other green leafy vegetable	Helps in blood clotting (to stop bleeding)	Haemorrhage (excessive bleeding)	Affects clotting of blood

Some vitamins are very sensitive to heat and light. For example, vitamin C is easily destroyed during cooking. Therefore, vitamin C-rich food items should be eaten raw.

Scurvy was common among sailors in ancient times. Due to lack of cure, several sailors died of this disease during long voyages. In the 18th century, James Lind found that eating citrus fruits reduced the occurrence of scurvy in sailors.

Deficiency of Minerals
Table lists some important minerals and their sources, functions, deficiency diseases, and symptoms. Minerals also assist in certain chemical reactions in the body. Cooking does not destroy them.

Mineral and sources	Function	Deficiency disease	Symptoms
Calcium Sources: Milk and green leafy vegetables	Strengthens bones and teeth and helps in clotting of blood	Osteoporosis in adults. Rickets in children	Brittle bones; excessive bleeding; stunted growth; weak teeth and bones
Phosphorus Sources: Cereals, pulses (dal), and milk	Strengthens bones and teeth	Rickets in children	Weakening of bones; poor development of bones and nervous system; mental retardation; retarded growth; loss of weight
Iron Sources: Cereals, pulses, meat, and green leafy vegetables	Helps in the formation of haemoglobin and red blood cells	Anaemia	. Pale body colour; body fatigue; white nails; loss of weight; swelling in hands and feet
Iodine Sources: Fish and salt	Required for proper working of the thyroid gland	Goitre	Enlargement of the thyroid gland; mental retardation; retarded growth
Sodium and potassium Sources: Salt and most food items	Help in maintaining body’s water balance	Body and muscle weakness Paralysis	General weakness; dehydration
Magnesium Sources: Green leafy vegetables, cereals, chicken, and fish	Regulates the functioning of muscles and nerves	Weak muscles and nerves	Loss of appetite; upset stomach; sleeplessness

What Is Deficiency Diseases‎

Lack of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, or minerals in the diet can cause diseases. Diseases that are caused due to the lack of nutrients in the diet are called deficiency diseases. Deficiency diseases cannot be transmitted from one person to another.

Deficiency of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the main energy sources. Lack of carbohydrates in the diet results in lack of energy and stamina. A labourer who does hard manual work needs more carbohydrates in his diet than a person who does his work sitting in his office.

Deficiency of Proteins

Growing children need more proteins in their diet. Lack of proteins in the diet weakens muscles.
Deficiency of proteins leads to a disease called kwashiorkor. Deficiency of proteins along with carbohydrate deficiency is called Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM). It leads to marasmus. These diseases are more common in children of rural areas.

Children suffering from Kwashiorkor

A child suffering from kwashiorkor has some or all of the following symptoms:
large pot-like belly, stunted growth, swelling of face and limbs (especially the feet), skin diseases, mental retardation, and diarrhoea. If the treatment is started in time, improving protein intake may correct this disease. Marasmus is more common among infants and children under 5 years of age. A child suffering from marasmus becomes very thin, shows slow body growth, lack of energy, loss of appetite, weak legs, mental retardation, poor muscle development, etc.
To prevent these diseases, the Government of India has started programmes like the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and the Mid-day Meal scheme in schools.

Deficiency of Water in the Body

Water is very essential for proper functioning of our body. Excess loss of water from the body leads to a condition called dehydration.
Dehydration causes loss of salts and leads to weakness in the body. Oral Rehydrating Solution (ORS) can be given to the patient to recover from dehydration. It is available free of cost at primary health centres. It can also be made at home by mixing 8 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 litre of clean, drinking water.