Knowing Your Vitamins and Minerals!
While Vitamins and Minerals are essential to your diet, it is nice to know what a serious deficiency and large excess of each can do to your mental and physical health! Considering the Daily Values (DV %) listed on different containers are products, I will let you know what these deficiency and excess side effects are.
Vitamins
- A deficiency of Vitamin A can lead you to have side effects including dry skin, dry hair, blindness at nighttime, and an increase in digestive infections.
- A large excess of Vitamin A can lead to dry skin (just as in a deficiency), hair loss, pain in the abdominals, headaches, and drowsiness.
- A deficiency can cause heart failure and water retention.
- A deficiency can cause areas of discolored skin.
- A deficiency can contribute to damage to the skin and nervous system.
- A large excess can cause flush skin and liver damage.
- A deficiency can cause nervousness and muscular disorders.
- A large excess can cause a lack of coordination and numbness.
- A deficiency can cause weakened nerve function.
- A deficiency can cause weakened immunity to sickness and slow healing of wounds.
- A large excess can cause kidney stones and diarrhea.
- A deficiency can cause softened bones in adults and bone deformities in children.
- A large excess can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and kidney damage.
- A large excess can cause fatigue and vomiting.
- A deficiency can cause severe bleeding and easy bruising.
- A large excess can cause liver damage.
Minerals
- A deficiency can cause a loss of bone mass and stunted growth.
- A large excess can cause kidney stones and a lesser absorption of other minerals.
Chloride
- A deficiency can cause a loss in appetite and muscle cramps.
- A large excess can cause high blood pressure.
Copper
- A large excess can cause liver damage and vomiting.
Fluoride
- A deficiency can cause tooth decay.
- A large excess can cause upset stomachs and deformed skeletons.
Iodine
- Both a deficiency and excess can cause enlarged thyroids.
- A deficiency can cause a weakened immune system and overall weakness in the body.
- A large excess can cause liver damage, shock, and heart failure.
- A deficiency can cause muscle cramps.
- A large excess can cause neurological problems.
- A large excess can cause nerve damage.
Phosphorus
- A deficiency can cause weakness.
- A large excess can lead to a lesser absorption of other minerals.
- A deficiency can cause muscle weakness.
- A large excess can cause heart failure and paralysis.
Sodium
- A deficiency can cause muscle cramps and a reduced appetite.
- A large excess can cause high blood pressure.
Conclusion
I hope now that you have read this, you will have a better understanding of what a large excess and/or a deficiency of different vitamins and minerals can do to your body! Have a great day!
References:
- Goodenough, Judith. Biology of Humans: Concepts, Applications, and Issues. 2nd Edition. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007.