Lorraine: Dr Amir says spine could shrink if deficient in vitamin D
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Vitamins and minerals are nutrients your body needs in small amounts to work properly and to stay healthy. The NHS says that most people should get all the nutrients they need by having a varied and balanced diet, although some people may need to take extra supplements. Some signs may show up on your skin, and can often be easily rectified.
Vitamin deficiencies have different symptoms, depending on which vitamin you’re deficient in.
However, when you’re lacking in some vitamins this will start to show on your skin.
Nutritionist Resource health site says that an “unhealthy” pale colour to your skin may be a sign of an iron, zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin B6 or folate deficiency.
You may also suffer from dermatitis. This includes dry, itchy and reddening skin which can be a sign of zinc, niacin and essential fatty acid deficiency.
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Nutritionist Resource says: “Be thankful to your body for giving you a sign that something isn’t right.”
It adds: “You can then take action to make sure things don’t get worse, so the issue can be resolved in a preventative and straightforward way.”
To combat skin issues associated with vitamin deficiency, it’s important to ensure you increase your intake of the vitamins you are lacking.
Indeed, government advice is that everyone should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter.
Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, and over the winter you may need to take supplements.
The NHS says: “From about late March/early April to the end of September, most people should be able to make all the vitamin D they need from sunlight.
“The body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors.
“But between October and early March we do not make enough vitamin D from sunlight.”
The Cleveland Clinic says that severe lack of vitamin D causes rickets, which shows up in children as incorrect growth patterns, weakness in muscles, pain in bones and deformities in joints, though this is very rare.
“However, children who are deficient in vitamin D can also have muscle weakness or sore and painful muscles,” it adds.
The health site adds that a lack of vitamin D “is not quite as obvious in adults”.
Nonetheless, signs and symptoms might include fatigue, bone pain, muscle weakness, muscle aches, or muscle cramps, or mood changes, like depression.
Iron deficiency anaemia is caused by lack of iron, often because of blood loss or pregnancy.
The NHS says if you have iron deficiency anaemia symptoms can include tiredness and lack of energy, shortness of breath, noticeable heartbeats, and pale skin.
It adds: “If your diet is partly causing your iron deficiency anaemia, your GP will tell you what foods are rich in iron so you can eat more of them.”
In pregnancy, iron deficiency anaemia is most often caused by a lack of iron in the diet.
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