1. Poor Digestion
Even when your food intake is good, inefficient digestion can limit your
body's uptake of vitamins. Some common causes of inefficient digestion
are not chewing well enough and eating too fast. Both of these result
in larger than normal food particle size, too large to allow complete
action of digestive enzymes. Many people with dentures are unable to chew
as efficiently as those with a full set of original teeth.
2.
Hot Coffee, Tea and Spices Habitual drinking of liquids that are too hot,
or consuming an excess of irritants such as coffee, tea or pickles and
spices can cause inflammation of the digestive linings, resulting in a
drop in secretion of digestive fluids and poorer extraction of vitamins
and minerals from food.
3. Alcohol Drinking too much alcohol is known to damage the liver and pancreas,
which are vital to digestion and metabolism. It can also damage the lining
of the intestinal tract and adversely affect the absorption of nutrients,
leading to sub-clinical malnutrition. Regular heavy use of alcohol increases
the body's need for the B-group vitamins, particularly thiamine, niacin,
pyridoxine, folic acid and vitamins B12, A and C as well as the minerals
zinc, magnesium and calcium. Alcohol affects availability, absorption
and metabolism of nutrients.
4. Smoking Smoking too much tobacco is also an irritant to the digestive
tract and increases the metabolic requirements of vitamin C, all else
being equal, by at least thirty per cent more than the typical requirements
of a non-smoker. Vitamin C, which is normally present in such foods
as paw paws, oranges and capsicums, oxidises rapidly once these fruits
are cut, juiced, cooked or stored in direct light or near heat. Vitamin
C is important for good immune function.
5. Laxatives Overuse of laxatives can result in poor absorption of vitamins
and minerals from food, by hastening the intestinal transit time. Paraffin
and other mineral oils increase losses of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E
and K. Other laxatives used to excess can cause large losses of minerals
such as potassium, sodium and magnesium.
6. Fad Diets Bizarre diets that miss out on whole groups of foods can
be seriously lacking in vitamins. Even the popular low fat diets, if taken
to an extreme, can be deficient in vitamins A, D and E. Vegetarian diets,
which exclude meat and other animal sources, must be very skillfully planned
to avoid vitamins B12 deficiency, which may lead to anemia.
7.
Overcooking Lengthy cooking or rehearing of meat and vegetables can oxidise
and destroy heat susceptible vitamins such as the B-group, C and E. Boiling
vegetables leaches the water soluble vitamins B-group and C as well as many
minerals. Light steaming is preferable. Some vitamins, such as vitamin B6 can
be destroyed by irradiation from microwaves.
8. Food Storage Freezing food containing vitamin E can significantly reduce
its levels once defrosted. Foods containing vitamin E exposed to heat and
air can turn rancid. Many common sources of vitamin E, such as bread and oils
are nowadays highly processed, so that the vitamin E content is significantly
reduced or missing totally, which increases storage life but can lower nutrient
levels. Vitamin E is an antioxidant which defensively inhibits oxidative damage
to all tissues. Other vitamin losses from food preserving can include vitamin
B1 and C.
9. Convenience Foods A diet overly dependent of highly refined carbohydrates,
such as sugar, white flour and white rice places greater demand on additional
sources of B-group vitamins to process these carbohydrates. An unbalanced
diet contributes to such conditions as irritability, lethargy and sleep
disorders.
10. Antibiotics Some antibiotics although valuable in fighting infection,
also kill off friendly bacteria in the gut, which would normally be producing
B-group vitamins to be absorbed through the intestinal walls. Such deficiencies
can result in a variety of nervous conditions, therefore it may be advisable
to supplement with B-group vitamins when on a lengthy course of broad-spectrum
antibiotics, and/or use pure Lactobacillus powders.
11. Food Allergies The omission of whole food groups from the diet, as in
the case of individuals allergic to gluten or lactose, can mean the loss of
significant dietary sources of nutrients such as thiamine, riboflavin or calcium.
12. Crop Nutrient Losses Some agricultural soils are deficient in trace elements. Decades of intensive
agriculture can overwork and deplete soils, unless all the soil nutrients,
including trace elements, are regularly replaced. In one US Government survey,
levels of essential minerals in crops were found to have declined by up to
68 percent over a four year period in the 1970's.
13.
Accidents and Illnesses Burns lead to a loss of protein and essential trace
nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Surgery increases the need for zinc,
vitamin E and other nutrients involved in the cellular repair mechanism. The
repair of broken bones will be retarded by an inadequate supply of calcium
and vitamin C and conversely enhanced by a full dietary supply. The challenge
of infection places high demand on the nutritional resources of zinc, magnesium
and vitamins B5, B6 and zinc.
14. Stress Chemical, physical and emotional stresses can increase the body's
requirements for vitamins B2, B5, B6 and C. Air pollution increases the requirements
for vitamin E.
15.
P.M.T Research has demonstrated that up to 60 per cent of women suffering from
symptoms of premenstrual tension, such as headaches, irritability, bloatedness,
breast tenderness, lethargy and depression can benefit from supplementation
with vitamin B6.
16.
Teenagers Rapid growth spurts such as in the teenage years, particularly in
girls, place high demands on nutritional resources to underwrite the accelerated
physical, biochemical and emotional development in this age group. Data from
the U.S.A. Ten State Nutrition Survey (in 1968-70 covering a total of 24,000
families and 86,000 individuals) showed that between 30 - 50 per cent of adolescents
aged 12 to 16 had dietary intakes below two-thirds of the recommended daily
averages for vitamin A, C, calcium and iron.
17.
Pregnant Women Pregnancy creates higher than average demands for nutrients,
to ensure healthy growth of the baby and comfortable confinement for the mother.
Nutrients which typically require increase during pregnancy are the B-group,
especially B1, B2, B3, B6, folic acid and B12, A, D, E and the minerals calcium,
iron, magnesium, zinc and phosphorous. The Ten State Nutrition Survey in the
USA in 1968-70 showed that as many as 80 per cent of the pregnant women surveyed
had dietary intakes below two thirds of recommended daily allowances. Professional
assessment of nutrient requirements during pregnancy should be sought.
18.
Oral Contraceptives Oral contraceptives can decrease absorption of folic acid
and increase the need for vitamin B6, and possibly vitamin C, zinc and riboflavin.
Approximately 22 per cent of Australian women aged 15 to 44 are believed to
be on "the pill" at any one time.
19.
Light Eaters Some people eat very sparingly, even without weight reduction
goals. U.S. dietary surveys have shown that an average woman maintains her
weight on 7560 kilojoules per day, at which level her diet is likely to be
low in thiamine, calcium and iron.
20.
The Elderly The aged have been shown to have a low intake of vitamins and
minerals, particularly iron, calcium and zinc. Folic acid deficiency is
often found, in conjunction with vitamin C deficiency. Fibre intake is often
low. Riboflavine (B2) and pyridoxine (B6) deficiencies have also been observed.
Possible causes include impaired sense of taste and smell, reduced secretion
of digestive enzymes, chronic disease and maybe, physical impairment.
21. Lack of Sunlight Invalids, shiftworkers and people whose exposure
to sunlight may be minimal can suffer from insufficient amounts of vitamin
D, which is required for calcium metabolism, without which rickets and
osteoporosis (bone thinning) has been observed. Ultraviolet light is the
stimulus to vitamin D formation in skin. It is blocked by cloud, fog,
smog, ordinary window glass, curtains and clothing. The maximum recommended
daily supplemental intake of vitamin D is 400 IU.
22. Bio-Individuality Wide fluctuations in individual nutrient requirements
from the official recommended average vitamin and mineral intakes are
common, particularly for those in high physical demand vocations, such
as athletes and manual labour, taking into account body weight and physical
type. Protein intake influences the need for vitamin B6 and vitamin
B1 is linked to kilojoule intake.
23.
Low Body Reserves Although the body is able to store reserves of certain
vitamins such as A and E, Canadian autopsy data has shown that up
to thirty per cent of the population have reserves of vitamin A so
low as to be judged "at risk". Vitamin A is important to healthy skin
and mucous membranes (including the sinus and lungs) and eyesight.
24.
Athletes Athletes consume large amounts of food and experience considerable
stress. These factors affect their needs for B-group vitamins, vitamin
C and iron in particular. Tests on Australian Olympic athletes and
A-grade football players, for example, have shown wide-ranging vitamin
deficiencies.
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