For most people, a well-balanced diet is key to getting all the nutrients needed to function. When your diet isn’t giving you enough nutrients, there are vitamin supplements that act as a safety net to fill in the gaps in what you’re not eating.
But did you know that you can do everything right and still be deficient in vitamins? This is because everyone is different, and our bodies need different things. General multivitamins may not address significant deficiencies in some nutrients. It is important to know the symptoms of a vitamin deficiency so that you can spot them if they appear and adjust your diet accordingly.
What is a vitamin deficiency?
A vitamin deficiency is exactly as the name suggests: Your body is functioning without enough of a particular nutrient. It’s incredibly popular. It is estimated that two billion people worldwide suffer from vitamin deficiencies.
Vitamin deficiencies fall into two categories – primary and secondary deficiencies. Primary vitamin deficiency means that you need to eat more foods that contain the vitamin. In this case, you can often adapt your diet to make sure these needs are met. Or take a supplement if you have dietary restrictions that prevent you from eating these foods, such as with food allergies.
Minor deficiencies occur when your body does not absorb nutrients as well as it should. This can be caused by an underlying condition such as celiac disease or cystic fibrosis. Additionally, secondary deficiency results from our bodies absorbing less nutrients as we age. Then malabsorption can build up and cause other deficiencies, as is the case with calcium and vitamin D. Older adults whose bodies have stopped producing vitamin D can develop a calcium deficiency because vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption.
Common signs you may have a vitamin deficiency
Vitamin deficiencies are common. However, they do not always present with symptoms that may be associated with a vitamin deficiency. Here are the common signs of a vitamin deficiency that you may be ignoring.
- exhaustion
One of the most common symptoms of a vitamin deficiency is fatigue or feeling weak and tired. Many things can cause it, making it difficult to separate which symptoms stem from something else, such as: sleep deprivation. Chronic fatigue that does not go away, no matter how much you sleep or rest, may indicate a vitamin deficiency.
Fatigue indicates a deficiency in:
2. Muscle weakness and pain
Another common sign of a vitamin deficiency is muscle weakness or cramps. Again, this type of nutrient is hard to pin down directly, since you may be sore or have joint pain for many reasons. The most well-known deficiency associated with muscle weakness is vitamin D. However, several B vitamins and magnesium can also contribute to weakness.
Muscle and joint weakness can indicate a deficiency in:
Addressing your diet to find out what your vitamin deficiency is is the first step you can take to address a vitamin deficiency. It’s worth seeing your doctor if you don’t find obvious holes in your diet.
3. Severe hair loss
Hair loss can occur for many reasons such as genetics, medical conditions, hair treatments, and hormonal imbalances. Loss of key nutrients for hair growth may also be the cause. If your hair is thinning or not as healthy as it used to be, it may be because you are not getting enough of these nutrients:
It is important to note that unless your hair loss or damage is caused by a vitamin deficiency, taking a multivitamin will not make your hair grow back thicker. Researching the source of your hair loss is the only way to know how to treat it. Hair growth vitamins can only help you stay healthy if you are deficient, but they are not magic pills. It is always best to focus on your diet that supports hair health.
4. Dry skin
Even if you use moisturizers and whatever you’re supposed to, your skin can still still be dry or flaky. Your diet may be to blame. Getting enough vitamins and minerals is essential for healthy skin and scalp. It’s not just dry skin — flaky patches, bumps, and dandruff all indicate a possible vitamin deficiency.
If you suffer from dry skin, you may be deficient in these vitamins:
5. Slow wound healing and a weak immune system
Several vitamins are essential for the immune system: vitamins E, C, and K. Vitamin K is a nutrient needed to form clots. Without enough in your body, a normal wound can turn into a huge problem. This also applies to internal bleeding, which is difficult to determine without medical intervention.
Vitamin deficiencies not only determine the duration of bleeding; It also affects how long the wound takes to heal. Vitamin C works with its anti-inflammatory properties that help close wounds. Deficiency slows tissue repair.
Nutrient deficiencies in these vitamins can affect the immune system and the ability to heal wounds:
6. Mood changes
Vitamin deficiencies can also affect how you feel. Most people are familiar with seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression that occurs when there is too little sunlight to give us vitamin D. However, mood changes and depression due to vitamin D deficiency are not limited to the winter months. It is estimated that 42% of Americans do not get enough vitamin D.
Vitamin B6 deficiency has also been found to contribute to mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. While more research is needed, several studies suggest that taking vitamin B6 supplements can help reduce symptoms because it produces chemical messengers that block impulses in the brain, resulting in a calming effect.
7. Changes in vision
In addition to the naturally occurring changes in our vision that occur with age, vitamin A deficiency can contribute to vision problems. Vitamin A plays a key role in vision by helping to produce pigments in the retina. Without enough vitamin A, production stops, leading to night blindness or a poor ability to see in dim light and darkness.
Night blindness can occur independently of a vitamin A deficiency, so you shouldn’t start taking a supplement unless you know the source. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that it builds up in the body’s fat stores. An excess is called vitamin A toxicity, and is characterized by symptoms such as headache, joint pain, and nausea.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant essential for eye health. Deficiency can lead to vision loss over time.
8. Tingling in the fingers or toes
A lesser known and more worrisome sign that you might have a vitamin deficiency is tingling in your hands, legs, and feet. The main cause of this deficiency is vitamin B12, which plays a role in our nervous system by producing myelin. Myelin is the protective layer that wraps around a nerve. A vitamin B12 deficiency means that your body will not produce enough myelin, and your nerves are vulnerable to damage. Then you feel tingling or pins and needles in your hands and feet.
Nutrients associated with tingling in the hands and feet:
If you experience any persistent tingling or numbness, speak to your doctor immediately to find out the cause and develop a treatment plan.
Very long; Didn’t you read?
Anyone can suffer from a vitamin deficiency. It is often overlooked because of how common some of the symptoms are. However, symptoms, especially those affecting your ability to move, lift, and see, should not be ignored. Making lifestyle and diet changes is the best way to stop a deficiency. Although taking supplements is also common.
Talk to your doctor if you have persistent symptoms that are not related to anything else. They can perform blood tests for a definitive diagnosis and to develop a treatment plan.