8 Common Signs You’re Deficient in Vitamins

What a person needs the most to live a healthy life? The answer is simple, a nutritious and a very well-balanced diet. If you are taking it consistently then there is no way to get certain anomalies regarding health.

A diet lacking essential and proper nutrients required for your growth inserts certain unpleasant symptoms related to the deficiencies of vitamins and other minerals. The need of the hour is having a know how about them and making a sense to address these issues.

Image: HealthyVogue

This article reviews all the important signs that appear while you are deficient in vitamins.

1. Bleeding gums

Bleeding gums can be of different reasons, but vitamin C deficiency is one of the participants and it is observed from the fact that vitamin C helps in improving immunity and healing of wounds, preventing cell damage and is one of the best antioxidants.

Body gets deficient in vitamin C so quickly as it is not made by body but diet only, giving this insight that you must maintain it on your own as per your routine habits of taking healthy and fresh fruits (2 pieces at least a day) and vegetables (3-4 portions per day). A report confirmed that vitamin deficiency is low in healthy populations as per their diet. This prolonged deficiency of vitamin may cause tooth loss.

Image: Herbsmedicines.com

Vitamin C deficiency can pave the way towards other related problems like tooth loss, scurvy which is the weakening of immune system, weakening of bones and muscles and causing lethargy and fatigue. Its common symptoms are nose-bleeding, slow healing of wounds, easy bruising, dry and scaly skin.

2. Red or white bumps on the skin

Red or white bumps, Keratosis pilaris, causes bumps (sometimes with ingrown hairs and corkscrew over them) on thighs, arms, buttocks and cheeks mostly during childhood.

The main cause of this abnormal growth is considered as Keratin excess in hair follicles but the thing to keep in mind is that it is genetic disorder. Keeping these things, an addition is that people with poor-dietary contents of vitamin C and A are more at risk of getting these bumps over their skin.

Image: health-zone.org

Certain precautionary measures involve the diet enrichment comprised of fish, egg, milk, meat, green vegetables and colored vegetables followed by fruits. Inadequate intake of this diet is strictly allied with keratosis pilaris.

3. Brittle hair and nails

Biotin, a Vitamin (B7), is essentially present in the hair and nail. The most important reason whenever you notice the brittle, thin and split nails and hair, is the lack of biotin which is very rare to occur but in certain cases. This basically plays its role in converting the food into energy. Biotin deficiency can be concluded from other symptoms as well including, muscular pain, tingling in the appendages, cramps and chronic fatigue.

Now, it is a certain observation that what kind of lifestyle participates towards this anomaly? A person with a habit of smoking and drinking, pregnant women, people with certain disorders regarding digestion and who takes a prolonged antibiotic and anti-seizure intake, are more at exposure of getting this deficiency in their bodies.

Dietary habits are the most participating towards this deficiency like intaking of raw eggs. Raw egg white is rich in avidin that is a binding protein, it binds to biotin and then mitigates its absorption capacity which is very dangerous for hair and nail growth. A certain diet plan should be prepared and followed up on regular basis to avoid such uncertainties.

Image: Health Insider

Egg yolks, fish, meat, nuts, seed, dairy products, organ meats, nuts, fiber food, broccoli, bananas, yeast, cauliflower, whole grains, sweet potatoes and supplemented biotin are all those things that are rich in biotin and must be a part of your diet plan as the best choice.

Another important observation as per different reports is that those adults who are having brittle nails and hair must try 30 micrograms of biotin/day to overcome this deficiency quickly.

4. Scaly patches and dandruff

Scaly patches and dandruff are skin disorders that are on those body parts related to oil-producing thing giving rise to itching and flaking skin. Scaly patches are also termed as Seborrheic dermatitis that can be on chest, face, groin and armpits but dandruff is truly restricted to scalp. These situations are governed mostly during the early 3 months of life, while getting puberty and during mid of adulthood.

To avoid these disorders as all others, one should take a strict check on diet and should follow a food plan comprised of starchy vegetables, legumes, organ meats, poultry, red meat, fish, dairy products, nuts, seeds, other sea foods and whole grains.

Image: New Vision

Both seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff are caused due to the poor diet intake in vitamin B3 (niacin), low levels of zinc, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and are so common to occur. A report study estimated that 50% of adults and 42% of new-born can hit by these both disorders at a point.

5. Poor night vision and white growths on the eyes

Vision is highly affected by the diet deficient in vitamin causing night blindness (by vitamin A deficiency) that is responsible for reduction of sight in darkness.

Vitamin A produces a pigment, rhodopsin, that is present in the retina of eye and is associated to give sight at night. It’s delay in treatment may insert the cause of Bitot’s spots, formation of foamy, whitish, elevated outgrowths on the conjunctiva of eyes and xerophthalmia that involves cornea damage and causes blindness. These diseases can be disappeared only by overcoming the vitamin A deficiency which is rare in developed countries.

Certain symptoms associated with this toxicity are headaches, joint pain, bone weakening, nausea and if not controlled then it can cause come leading to death.

Image: MedMD

This can be only stunned by taking highly enriched-diet of vitamins like eggs, dairy products, fish, green vegetables, colored vegetables mostly orange-yellow and organ meats. Other than this, it should be a part of daily routine to avoid the intake of vitamin A supplements unless and until you are diagnosed with this deficiency and prescribed by doctor because it is fat-soluble and can accumulate in body putting toxic effects.

6. Mouth ulcers or cracks in the corners of the mouth

There are different symptoms associated with the lack of vitamins but getting them appear round the mouth is the commonest one. Mouth ulcer or canker sores is basically the formation of sores and lesions in and around the mouth that is chiefly due to the deficiency of vitamin like thiamine (vitamin B1), Pyridoxine (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2) or in some cases iron as per different studies.

Cracking, bleeding and splitting round the corners of mouth due to the less water intake or excess salivation, is termed as Angular cheilitis, is particularly caused due to deficiency in riboflavin or sometimes vitamin B or iron.

Image: Qoctor

To alleviate this all, iron, thiamine, pyridoxine and riboflavin rich diet must be taken comprising nuts, green leafy vegetables, starchy vegetables, dairy products, organ meats, eggs, red meat, chicken, fish, whole grains and legumes.

7. Restless leg syndrome

RLS or Willis-Ekbom disease is the arousal of uncomfortable sensation and urge to move in the legs. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke reported that 10% of Americans are likely to be hit by this situation and may be due to iron level or magnesium insufficiency. An evidence to this involvement of iron level is that during pregnancy, iron level drops that causes the severity of this sensation.

Image: Medical News Today

Diet enriched with iron, legumes, fish, eggs, meat, seeds, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, vitamin C-rich fruits, poultry and dairy products, seems to reduce its impact in body. Iron supplements, necessarily only, can also be helpful in documented deficiencies.

A very interesting piece of information regarding its reduction is the use of pots and pans that are made-up of cast iron and by avoiding tea and coffee certainly at meals.

8. Hair loss

Hair loss is mainly due to the deficiency of iron, zinc, linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), niacin (vitamin B3) and biotin (vitamin B7). It is so common as estimations that 50% of adults are reported who are suffering from this problem. Adding these nutrients involving, iron, zinc, linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), niacin (vitamin B3) and biotin (vitamin B7) may insert beneficial effects towards the overcoming of this problem.

The role of these nutrients is so important in different mechanisms of body like zinc is involved in protein synthesis and division of cells that are essential for hair growth. Similarly, iron participates in the DNA synthesis in hair follicles. So, getting low iron through diet causes less growth or fall out.

Vitamin B and niacin are essentially associated with the hair health. Niacin deficiency may cause the hair fall in small patches, a situation called as Alopecia. Moreover, linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid maintains the hair growth.

Image: BetterCure

A diet-chart comprised of dark leafy greens, legumes, organ meat, nuts, eggs, fish, meat, vegetable oils, flaxseeds, soy, nuts, walnuts, egg yolks, chia seeds and whole grains are rich in all these required nutrients for hair protection and hair growth.

The best way is to take in organic things but there is a replacement as well in the form of supplements, referred to the people with documented deficiencies. These supplements have a greater risk alongside their beneficial effects involving more hair loss due to excess intake of selenium.