Health Problems That Can Occur if You're Nutrient Deficient

Your body runs on nutrients. The vitamins and minerals in your diet power your muscles, your movements, and even your brain. Nutrients also supply needed support for your immune system, helping your body stay healthy. That’s why nutrient deficiencies have such a direct negative impact on your health.

At Alpenglow Pain & Wellness, Dr. Nichelle Renk and Dr. Mary Beth Calor provide care, including nutritional support, to communities in and around Anchorage, Alaska. If you’re experiencing nutrient deficiencies, supplementation or nutritional education may improve your overall health and wellness.

Here are just a few examples of health problems that can harm you as a result of nutrient deficiency.

Vitamin D deficiency

About 35% of adults in the United States are deficient in vitamin D, while around 50% have insufficient vitamin D. This key vitamin enters your body through sun exposure, as well as your diet. Vitamin D deficiency is more likely to affect you in the winter months when daylight doesn’t last as long.

You need vitamin D for strong bones and muscles. Without enough of this nutrient, your bone and muscle health suffer. Your bones lose the ability to absorb calcium and phosphorus, which are needed for new bone growth and healthy tissue regeneration.

Severe vitamin D deficiency can lead to secondary conditions like overactive parathyroid glands or bone demineralization. You could suffer from softened bones, known as osteomalacia, increasing your risk of fractures. In children, this condition is known as rickets.

As a result of this nutrient deficiency, you may experience fatigue, pain in your bones, muscle weakness, or persistent muscle cramping. Vitamin D deficiency may also play a role in psychological symptoms, such as depression.

Iron deficiency

Your body needs iron to produce healthy red blood cells. If you’re deficient in iron, you develop anemia. Insufficient iron leads to low levels of hemoglobin in your blood, hindering the flow of oxygen through your bloodstream to nourish your organs and tissues.

Iron deficiency anemia results in disruptive symptoms like heavy fatigue, physical weakness, and shortness of breath. This condition can cause you to suffer from chest pain, dizziness, headaches, and brittle nails, as well. Iron supplementation usually works well to restore your health and get rid of your anemia.

B vitamin deficiency

There are eight B vitamins, and you need sufficient amounts of all of them to maintain normal energy levels and cellular health. If you’re deficient in one or more B vitamins, you may experience symptoms like fatigue, muscle weakness, persistent nausea, and skin issues.

Those symptoms apply to all B vitamin deficiencies. Specific deficiencies in one of the B vitamins can also result in additional symptoms.

For example, deficiencies in vitamins B12 and B9 often result in anemia, and B12 deficiency may also produce cognitive issues, including depression and dementia. Vitamin B3 deficiency may cause the condition pellagra, and B9 deficiency in pregnant women contributes to an increased risk of birth defects.

To address these issues, you may need a general B vitamin supplement, or a more targeted supplementation of a specific B vitamin.

Magnesium deficiency

The mineral magnesium, which is naturally found in foods like leafy green vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains, contributes to the health of your muscles, bones, and nerves. Magnesium also plays a role in regulating blood sugar levels.

Short-term deficiency in this essential mineral may result in nausea and loss of appetite. You may also suffer from muscle spasms and heart problems such as arrhythmias or even cardiac arrest. 

In the long term, magnesium deficiency increases your risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, and recurring headaches.

After diagnosing this nutrient deficiency, Dr. Renk and Dr. Calor provide supplements such as magnesium glycinate chelate and threonate to restore your body to full health and wellness.

To address these and other nutrient deficiencies, or if you’re suffering from common nutrient deficiency symptoms like fatigue or nausea, contact Alpenglow Pain & Wellness. Schedule your initial consultation by calling now, or book your appointment online today.