What a Lack of Vitamins can do to your Health

If you don't ingest the right amount of vitamins, the body will send signals that are easy to recognize. When faced with these signals, it's important to take appropriate measures to avoid major complications.
What a Lack of Vitamins can do to your Health

Last update: 05 June, 2019

In order to enjoy good health, it’s important to have appropriate amounts of each and every nutrient. If you don’t follow a healthy and balanced diet plan, your body will start to notice the consequences. In this article, we’ll focus on vitamins and deficiencies. You’ll be surprised to learn how the absence of these nutrients can affect the body.

Possible consequences of a lack of vitamins

Anemia

There are various different reasons why anemia occurs. One of them is a lack of vitamins. In order to make a diagnosis and prepare a treatment plan, it’s important to perform a blood test. In general, the deficiency of vitamin C and D can cause anemia. If this occurs, it’s important to increase the intake of foods that are rich in these vitamins.

Some people may consume the right amount of vitamins and still suffer from anemia. Such situations occur because the body is not able to perform the task of assimilation or absorption of these important nutrients. When this occurs, a detailed study should be performed.

The main symptoms of anemia are fatigue, muscle aches, and dizziness. Vitamin supplements and balanced diets help to treat anemia that’s caused by vitamin deficiencies.

Fatigue

One of the first symptoms that people experience when they don’t consume the right amount of vitamins is fatigue. Fatigue can manifest itself in many ways including, low vitality, muscle pain or drowsiness. 

That’s why it’s important to take essential vitamins on a daily basis. This is especially important for people who carry out intense physical or mental activities. A healthy breakfast with natural juice and toast will help you start the day loaded with vitamins and energy.

Tired woman

Vision loss

Vitamin A deficiency can cause visual difficulties. The first symptom is usually difficulty focusing in low light settings. This problem can be treated, however, it’s best to do so as soon as the symptoms occur. This will prevent further complications.

In the event that the vitamin A deficiency persists, it can lead to considerable vision loss and even blindness.

Skin problems

One of the most visible signs of vitamin B12 deficiencies is skin problems. Dermatitis is one of the first symptoms to appear, it can be followed by itchiness or mouth ulcers.

These problems are mostly seen in people who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, due to the fact that eating enough food of animal origin can cause a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Vitamin B12 deficiencies can be treated with supplements which should be taken periodically under a professional’s supervision.

Food rich in vitamins

In order to prevent the consequences of vitamin deficiencies, implement the following foods that are rich in vitamins and include them in your diet. We divided the list by specific vitamins in order to make it easier for you to select the right foods depending on your symptoms.

Keep in mind that these are fundamental nutrients, they should be present in all of the meals that you have throughout the day. You’ll see that it will be easy to meet your vitamin needs since they are present in a variety of foods.

  • melon, mango, milk, carrots, and veal are just a few examples of great sources of vitamin A.
  • Regarding vitamin B, it can be found in legumes, egg yolks, nuts, and salmon.
Healthy salad

This list is just a few examples of the foods that contain vitamins. It could be endless if we included all of the foods in which essential vitamins can be found.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Palavecino, N. (2002). Nutrición para el alto rendimientoColección Ciencias de la salud (Vol. I, p. 388). España: Libros en Red. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00440365
  • Rosado, J. L., Bourges, H., & Saint-Martin, B. (1995, September). Deficiencia de vitaminas y minerales en México. Una revisión crítica del estado de la información: II. Deficiencia de vitaminas. Salud Pública de México. https://doi.org/10.1097/ICU.0b013e328320d86a.Genetics
  • UnAD México. (2018). Micronutrientes: vitaminas y minerales. Bioquímica de La Nutrición. División de Ciencias de La Salud, Biológicas y Ambientales. UnAD México, 1–42. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2PkjUIs

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.