Did You Know Just That Many Cancers Are Linked To A Vitamin Deficiency?
Avitaminosis
Avitaminosis is any disease
caused by chronic or long-term vitamin deficiency or caused
by a defect in metabolic conversion, such as tryptophan
to niacin. They are designated by the same letter as the
vitamin. Avitaminoses include
Vitamin
A deficiency
Vitamin A deficiency is common in developing countries but
rarely seen in developed countries. Approximately 250,000
to 500,000 malnourished children in the developing world
go blind each year from a deficiency of vitamin A. Night
blindness is one of the first signs of vitamin A deficiency.
Vitamin A deficiency contributes to blindness by making
the cornea very dry and damaging the retina and cornea.
Vitamin A deficiency also
diminishes the ability to fight infections. In countries
where children are not immunized, infectious disease like
measles have relatively higher fatality rates. As elucidated
by Dr. Alfred Sommer, even mild, subclinical deficiency
can also be a problem, as it may increase children's risk
of developing respiratory and diarrheal infections, decrease
growth rate, slow bone development, and decrease likelihood
of survival from serious illness.
In addition to dietary problems,
there are other causes of vitamin A deficiency. Iron deficiency
can affect vitamin A uptake. Excess alcohol consumption
can deplete vitamin A, and a stressed liver may be more
susceptible to vitamin A toxicity. People who consume large
amounts of alcohol should seek medical advice before taking
vitamin A supplements.
Treatment
of vitamin A deficiency can be undertaken with both oral
and injectable forms, generally as vitamin A palmitate.
Thiamine
or thiamin, also known as vitamin B1, is a colorless compound
with chemical formula C12H17N4OS. It is soluble in water
and insoluble in alcohol. Thiamine decomposes if heated.
Thiamine was first discovered by Umetaro Suzuki in Japan
when researching how rice bran cured patients of Beriberi.
He named it aberic acid.
Deficiency
Systemic thiamine deficiency can lead to myriad problems
including neurodegeneration, wasting, and death. A lack
of thiamine can be caused by malnutrition, a diet high in
thiaminase-rich foods (raw freshwater fish, raw shellfish,
ferns) and/or foods high in anti-thiamine factors (tea,
coffee, betel nuts) [1].
Well-known
syndromes caused by thiamine deficiency include Wernicke-Korsakoff
syndrome and beriberi, diseases also common in chronic abusers
of alcohol
http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Vitamin_deficiency
