General Factors Involved in Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies
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This is the Appendix from RC’s best-selling book:
“Symptomatology and Differential Diagnosis”
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General Factors Involved in Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies
Several general factors are involved in vitamin and mineral deficiencies. For example, abnormal loss and utilization or subnormal absorption, intake, storage, or transport, singularly or in combination, may readily lead to symptoms of nutritional deficiency.
You may also find value reviewing the:
Agents Contributing to Vitamin, Mineral, and Other Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms
Drugs and nutrients often have adverse interactions. Drugs usually interfere with normal cellular nutrition by:
(1) depressing the central appetite center,
(2) decreasing normal blood levels (eg, excessive excretion),
(3) interfering with the nutrient’s storage or metabolism,
(4) developing a chemical antagonism (eg, inactivate),
(5) increasing the action of ingested antivitamins or antiminerals, or
(6) destroying intestinal bacteria necessary to synthesize the nutrient.
Some adverse nondrug factors include abnormal stress, aluminum cookware, diuretic beverages (eg, coffee, ethanol, tea), excessive sugar/starch intake, lack of exercise, laxatives, prolonged fever, radiation, tobacco, and severe surgery or trauma
Disease States Contributing to Specific Nutritional Deficiencies
Any prolonged state of disease increases normal nutritional needs. However,
certain disorders have been shown to have a particularly adverse effect on specific deficiencies.
Effects of Some Nutrients on Certain Medications
Just as certain medications and dietary substances have an adverse effect on certain nutritional substances, some nutrients (especially in excessive amounts) have an adverse effect on certain medications a particular patient may be taking. Thus, it is important that such medications be noted during the case history process. Because these nutrients may counteract or inhibit the absorption or utilization of various medications, conditions being treated medically may be exacerbated.
Symptoms of Hypervitamin Toxicosis
It has been long recognized that excessive amounts of vitamins A and D can lead to toxicosis. In recent years, adverse effects have also been shown to be contributed to megadoses of vitamins C and E.
Nutritional or ingested environment minerals may also lead to toxicosis.
Toxicity levels have been established for:
copper (40 mg),
iron (100 mg),
magnesium (30,000 mg),
potassium (1.950—5.850 mg), and
sodium (2,300—6.900 mg/d).
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Vitamin and Mineral are the most important part of our life and they play an important role to keep us fit and healthy. Thank you for giving us this reference which is really very useful.