Redefining the Meaning of Nutritional Deficiencies

Many of us were taught that vitamin deficiencies were horrible diseases such as scurvy, beriberi, and pellagra – each often characterized by the body literally falling apart. Relatively common 100 years ago, these diseases are now considered rare.

But it is a mistake to consider these "classic" deficiency diseases the first sign of compromised nutrition. Rather, these diseases consist of the final burst of symptoms – what some people in medicine refer to as "total system failure" – before death.

It is equally foolish to believe that nutritional deficiencies are rare today. Often the signs of marginal nutritional intake or early deficiency are more difficult to assess, in large part because their symptoms may be vague and because health-care professions simply don't bother investigating them.

For example, a vitamin C-deprivation study found that the first signs of deficiency were not those of scurvy, but rather irritability and fatigue – two extremely common symptoms. That should not come as a surprise because 30 to 48 percent of Americans do not consume the "recommended" amounts of vitamin C, indicating that their nutritional status is marginal at best.

Studies show similar patterns with other nutrients. A study of magnesium intake in the elderly found that one-fourth of subjects did not consume the officially recommended daily amounts. Similarly, 93 percent of Americans do not consume the recommended levels of vitamin E. In another study, researchers reported that 98 percent of patients hospitalized for hip fractures were either deficient or had marginal blood levels of vitamin D.

Vitamins and minerals directly or indirectly play roles in the thousands of biochemical reactions that occur in our bodies every second of the day. Without them, these chemical pr ocesses become sluggish or cease. The situation is analogous to using yeast to make dough rise. If yeast is not present, the dough does not rise to make bread.

Yet the average person, subsisting on fast foods and convenience foods (instead of fresh wholesome foods), most likely has a marginal intake of many vitamins and minerals. As chemical reactions slow down, any number of symptoms are likely to emerge. The situation is further complicated by the use of pharmaceutical medications, nearly all of which interfere with nutrient absorption or utilization.

It makes no sense to wait until the symptoms of nutritional deficiencies become fulminate. It's far more fascinating and exciting to discover how nutritional deficiencies and imbalances can cause a wide variety of otherwise inexplicable symptoms.