Youngevity presents 7 Common Nutrient Deficiencies: Know the Signs

Youngevity presents 7 Common Nutrient Deficiencies: Know the Signs

Here is some helpful nutritional tips from Youngevity

You might think nutrient deficiencies are a thing of the past, reserved for sailors trapped at sea. But even today, it’s possible to lack some of the essential nutrients your body needs to function optimally.

Nutrient deficiencies alter bodily functions and processes at the most basic cellular level. These processes include water balance, enzyme function, nerve signaling, digestion, and metabolism. Resolving these deficiencies is important for optimal growth, development, and function.

Nutrient deficiencies can also lead to other diseases. “For example, calcium and vitamin D deficiencies can cause osteopenia or osteoporosis, two conditions marked by brittle bones. Inadequate iron can cause anemia, which zaps your energy.”

Telltale symptoms are usually the first clue that you might be low in one or more important vitamins or minerals, Here’s how to recognize seven common nutrient deficiencies:

Types of deficiencies brought to by Youngevity

1. Calcium

Calcium is important for maintaining strong bones and controlling muscle and nerve function. Signs of severely low calcium include fatigue, muscle cramps, abnormal heart rhythms, and a poor appetite.

2. Vitamin D

This vitamin is also critical for bone health. Symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency can be vague — fatigue and muscle aches or weakness. If it goes on long term, a vitamin D deficiency can lead to softening of the bones.

3. Potassium

Potassium helps the kidneys, heart, and other organs work properly. You could become low in potassium in the short term because of diarrhea or vomiting, excessive sweating, or antibiotics, or because of chronic conditions such as eating disorders and kidney disease, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Symptoms of a deficiency include weight loss, muscle weakness, constipation, and in severe cases, an abnormal heart rhythm.

4. Iron

Iron helps your body make red blood cells. When iron levels get too low, your body can’t effectively carry oxygen. The resulting anemia can cause fatigue. You might also notice pale skin and dull, thin, sparse hair.

5. Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 aids the production of DNA and helps make neurotransmitters in the brain, says Rebecca Solomon, RD, director of clinical nutrition at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City. With an increasing number of vegans and people who’ve had weight loss surgery, vitamin B12 deficiency is becoming more common, according to Harvard Health Publications. The organization says symptoms of severe B12 deficiency include numbness in the legs, hands, or feet; problems with walking and balance; anemia; fatigue; weakness; a swollen, inflamed tongue; memory loss; paranoia; and hallucinations.

6. Folate

Folate, or folic acid, is a particularly important vitamin for women of childbearing age, which is why prenatal vitamins contain such a hefty dose. A folate deficiency can cause a decrease in the total number of cells and large red blood cells as well as neural tube defects in an unborn child. Symptoms of a folate deficiency include fatigue, gray hair, mouth ulcers, poor growth, and a swollen tongue.

The Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board recommends that women who could become pregnant take a folic acid supplement daily.

7. Magnesium

Magnesium helps support bone health and assists in energy production. Although deficiency is fairly uncommon in otherwise healthy people, it can affect those who take certain medications, have certain health conditions, or consume too much alcohol, according to the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements.

Magnesium deficiency can cause loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. In more severe cases, it can lead to numbness, muscle cramps, seizures, abnormal heart rhythms, personality changes, or low potassium or calcium levels.

You can easily avoid all of these symptoms by imply supplementing with all 90 essential nutrients, which are:

60 Minerals, 16 Vitamins, 12 Amino acids, and 2/3 essential fatty acids.

Get started today!

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