Vitamin deficiency – when is there danger?

Almost all building and breaking down processes in the body do not take place at all, unregulated or too slowly without vitamins. Without an adequate supply of all essential vitamins, our body would quickly become unable to survive. You can find out here who has an increased risk of vitamin deficiency and how a vitamin deficiency affects you.

Vitamin requirement: how high is it?

Vitamins are essential substances that the body cannot produce itself or can only produce in insufficient quantities. They have to be supplied to the body from outside through food. With a balanced, varied diet, people with a healthy metabolism usually get enough vitamins and  minerals  to cover their needs.

The most important guideline is the  recommended intake,  as defined by the German Society for Nutrition (DGE), and that varies for different ages: from infants and children to adolescents and adults, pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Risk factors for vitamin deficiency

Our need for vitamins is increased under certain circumstances. These  risk factors  for vitamin deficiency include:

• natural circumstances such as age
• other circumstances such as pregnancy and lactation
• non-physiological influences from drugs, stimulants and pollutants
• wrong or one-sided diet 
• physical stress such as constant stress or competitive sports

Smoking, too much alcohol, frequent colds, slimming cures and some medications are considered classic  vitamin thieves  . So many people have an increased need for vitamins – without even knowing it. We will present some of the factors mentioned in more detail below.

Smoking as a vitamin robber

With every  puff, smokers inhale  large amounts of carcinogenic particles, which are also loaded with tons of free radicals. Free radicals  are created by metabolic processes in the body, but also by environmental toxins, nicotine or stress. “Too much” of these aggressive particles can destroy important functions and structures in the body and cause diseases such as  arteriosclerosis , cancer or rheumatism.

In contrast to non-smokers, smokers therefore have an increased need for so-called  antioxidants.  These are substances that can bind free radicals and render them harmless. Of the vitamins, vitamins A, C and E in particular offer protection against free radicals.

Alcohol inhibits the utilization of vitamins

The higher the daily alcohol consumption, the fewer vitamins are supplied. If the liver has already been damaged by excessive alcohol, the  nutrients  (and thus the vitamins) are not assimilated as well.

Chronic drinking leads to vitamin deficiencies, especially vitamins A, B1, B6, C,  niacin  and  folic acid .

Long-term stress as a cause of vitamin deficiency

Those who are exposed to severe stress often have a vitamin deficiency. Constant stress consumes the vitamin reserves – the vitamin C status is often too low, as are vitamins B1, B6 and B12.

vitamin deficiency in women

On average, women eat healthier than men – at least in terms of their vitamin supply. Nevertheless, vitamin deficiencies are also possible in women. Decisive factors that affect women in particular are:

• Hormone preparations:  For many women, B vitamins and folic acid are candidates for deficiencies when taking hormone preparations. This can be the pill or a hormone preparation for the treatment of osteoporosis. Countermeasures can be taken with appropriate finished preparations or selected foods. Rich in B vitamins are liver, yeast, whole grains, powdered milk and whey, chanterelles; Yeast and green leafy vegetables are rich in folic acid.
• Slimming diets:  The vitamin level generally also decreases with the menu, namely with a reduced diet as part of slimming diets. Anyone who  diets frequently  should pay particular attention to an adequate intake of vitamins E and B.

Deficiency of vitamins in old age

Experience has shown that vitamin deficiency creeps in with age. There are many reasons for this: Older people often have less appetite and drink too little, and overall metabolic activity decreases. Sometimes there are also difficulties with the preparation of the food and/or the sense of taste weakens, so that many things taste bland.

The bottom line is that this leads to a reduced supply of nutrients. Vitamins A and C as well as the B vitamins, especially B12, are often missing in seniors. In people over the age of 75, vitamin deficiencies are the rule rather than the exception.

Vitamin deficiency due to diseases: Reduced food intake

There are disorders that decrease food and vitamin intake and others that increase consumption or cause vitamin depletion.

The absorption of nutrients and thus of vitamins is reduced in the case of:

• Appetitmangel
• Eating, chewing and swallowing disorders (e.g. if the teeth do not fit properly)
• gastrointestinal surgeries
• one-sided slimming diets

Decreased vitamin absorption

The absorption from the intestine is reduced in:

• Hypofunction of the pancreas (pancreatic insufficiency): digestive enzymes are missing, maldigestion occurs
• impaired bile flow in  liver diseases
• Intestinal infections and inflammation
• Regression of the gastric mucosa with a lack of intrinsic factor and gastric acid, which leads to anemia via vitamin B12 deficiency

In  cirrhosis of the liver  , the liver loses its ability to store vitamins.

Vitamin deficiency due to increased vitamin losses

Increased vitamin losses occur with:

• chronic diarrhea
• chronic renal failure
• Hemodialysis

Increased vitamin consumption

If the basal metabolic rate increases as a result of fever,  burns , larger wounds or infections, the vitamin requirement increases.

Vitamins are important!

Vitamins are essential for our health. They are …

• vital:  They prevent typical “deficiency diseases” of humans
• effective:  highly effective in small amounts
• Specialists:  not interchangeable
• indispensable:  the human body cannot manufacture them all

That’s why it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough vitamins and not to let a vitamin deficiency develop in the first place.