Stay high on nutrition

Multi-nutritional deficiency is getting common among youngsters and it could lead to serious health issues

In today's fast paced life, it is not uncommon to see nutrition taking a backseat. And to strike a balance between unhealthy eating and staying slim, people often end up dieting.

Doctors are of the opinion that many youngsters today suffer from Multi-nutritional deficiency some of the common ones being Vitamin B12 and Iron. These vitamins and minerals act together to perform body functions that are vital to our existence, deficiency of which can lead to serious health issues.

Poor dietary habits can often lead to deficiency of vitamins and nutrients in the body, causing anaemia. Vitamin deficiencies develop slowly in an individual’s body and the symptoms can be elusive initially. If not taken care at an early stage, these symptoms can aggravate and affect overall health of a person.

Some of the symptoms of nutritional deficiency and anemia include:

• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Pale or yellowish skin
• Weight loss
• Irregular heart beats
• Muscle weakness
• Mental confusion
• Fatigue
• Decreased attention span and focus
• Regular headaches

The solution lies in focusing on having a wholesome diet rich in of vegetables including plenty of greens, fruits, complex carbohydrates, eggs, nuts, dairy products, lean meats, and fish.

A common problem faced by vegetarians is vitamin B12 deficiency, as it is not present in plant foods.

Vegetarians should ensure that they eat enough dairy products like milk and foods fortified with B12 such as rice and soy beverages, plant derived meat analogues, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, and nutritional yeast or multivitamins may meet vitamin B12 needs.

If the intake of vitamin B12 is not proper during pregnancy, it can lead to developmental delays and weakness in the child born.

Following are some of the risk factors due to nutritional deficiency in body:

• Restrictive diet: People might suffer from nutritional deficient anaemia if the diet is restrictive to only certain food products. Generally, vegetarians or vegans suffer from nutritional deficiency as they don’t include animal products in diet which are the main sources of some of the nutrients like vitamin B12
• Pregnancy: Pregnant women should include multivitamin supplements in their diet apart from having wholesome platters daily. Women should include folic acid supplements in diet from the time of planning pregnancy.
• Certain prescription medications: Certain prescribed medicines like anti-seizure drugs can block absorption of folate. Also, antacids and other drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes might interfere with vitamin B 12 absorption. It is important to contact your Physician and get a comprehensive assessment regarding Medication management
• Excessive alcohol intake: Excessive alcohol intake can also lead to significant B12 deficiency.

By: Dr Bhanu Rekha Bhaskar
The writer is Senior Consultant-Internal Medicine, Columbia Asia Hospital.