Prevalence and Causes of Nutritional Deficiencies

Nutritional deficiencies are a widespread issue affecting populations globally despite their socioeconomic and geographic location. These deficiencies occur when there are gaps in your diet, leading to impairments in daily functioning and potential health risks. This article delves into the current prevalence of the most common nutritional deficiencies around the world and the underlying causes of nutritional deficiencies.

Prevalence of Nutritional Deficiencies

Nutritional deficiencies occur when the body does not receive an adequate supply of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Your body needs all those nutrients to function properly and to avoid health problems over time. Unfortunately, nutritional deficiencies are common, with specific deficiencies impacting large portions of the population.

Nutritional deficiencies are not a small public health problem. Here’s a look at the global prevalence of nutritional deficiencies, showing the most common ones:

• Vitamin D Deficiency: Over 1 billion people worldwide, 42% of adults and 60% of children in the US have low vitamin D levels. It is prevalent across all age groups and among people who don’t have the chance to get much sunlight exposure or avoid sunshine, and those who have a low dietary intake of vitamin D-rich foods.
• Iodine Deficiency: It is estimated that iodine deficiency affects 35–45% of the world’s population, including about one-third of school-aged children. The prevalence of nutritional deficiencies, specifically iodine is quite surprising.
• Iron Deficiency: Iron deficiency affects approximately 25% of the world’s population and 10% of women in the US. Higher rates are seen in developing countries and women of reproductive age, young children, and pregnant women.
• Vitamin B12 Deficiency: In the U.S., about 6% of people under 60 and nearly 20% of those over 60 are deficient in vitamin B12. The prevalence of nutritional deficiencies, specifically for vitamin B12 is higher for vegetarians, vegans, and older adults globally.
• Calcium Deficiency: Approximately 3.5 billion people around the globe have low calcium intake, particularly in South and East Asia, where dairy consumption is low.
• Vitamin A Deficiency:  The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency is about 20% in children aged 0-5 years and 10% in adolescents. It’s also significantly higher in the low sociodemographic bracket at 30%.
• Magnesium Deficiency: About 48% of the US population consumes less than the required amount of magnesium from food.
• Folate (Vitamin B9) Deficiency: The prevalence of folate insufficiency is about 20% in the US. This deficiency is prevalent in women of childbearing age.

Causes of Nutritional Deficiencies

Now that you know the extensive prevalence of nutritional deficiencies, it’s crucial to understand what causes them. The most common causes of nutritional deficiencies are diet-related but not only your diet contributes to these deficiencies. Various factors play a significant role in the prevalence of nutrient shortfalls. This list includes the most common causes of nutritional deficiencies:

Diet-Related Causes

• Poor Diet: The most common cause of nutritional deficiencies is having a poor diet. Diets lacking a variety of macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals often result in deficiencies, especially those low in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. The consumption of fast food, processed foods, vegetable oils, and refined sugars are major contributors to diets lacking essential nutrients. Unfortunately, this trend has led to a significant number of people being overweight yet undernourished.

• Restrictive Diets: Vegan, vegetarian, keto, and other restrictive diets can lead to deficiencies because they lack essential nutrients. This is mostly the case for those who do not supplement properly. For example, vegan diets may lack vitamin B12, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids, while keto diets might lack carbs, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

• Malabsorption Issues: Poor gut health can cause conditions that affect the stomach, intestines, pancreas, and liver such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). These conditions disrupt nutrient absorption and lead to nutritional deficiencies.

• Increased Nutrient Needs: Different life stages, like pregnancy, breastfeeding, childhood, and adolescence, require higher amounts of macronutrients and micronutrients. When you fail to adjust your diet during these stages, you can quickly become deficient.

• Dehydration: Another cause of nutritional deficiencies is dehydration. Water is essential for most bodily processes, even for vitamin and mineral transportation throughout the body. Make sure you recognize the signs of dehydration to avoid impairing your body’s ability to absorb nutrients effectively.

Illnesses and Eating Disorders

• Chronic Illnesses: Conditions like diabetes, cancer, and kidney disease can increase nutrient requirements or lead to nutrient losses. When not properly addressed, they contribute to nutritional deficiencies.

• Eating Disorders: When a person avoids eating for fear of gaining weight, as seen in anorexia, she/he doesn’t get all the nutrients that her/his body needs. The same issue takes place in bulimic populations since they throw up the food that they eat. Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia lead to severe nutritional deficiencies due to inadequate food intake and nutrient malabsorption

Harmful Habits

• Alcohol Consumption: Excessive alcohol can impair the absorption of several nutrients, such as B vitamins (especially thiamine and folate), magnesium, and zinc. Chronic alcohol use can also lead to liver damage, further compromising the metabolism of nutrients.
• Smoking: Smoking interferes with nutrient absorption and increases the need for certain vitamins and minerals. Smokers are more likely to have vitamin C, vitamin A, and folate deficiencies.

Lifestyle Factors

• Sedentary Lifestyle: Living a sedentary life is another cause of nutritional deficiencies. When you don’t engage in physical activity, your metabolism slows down and your digestion is poor, which in turn can affect nutrient absorption and cause deficiencies. The good news is that once you start exercising, your metabolism accelerates and nutrient transport improves.

• Sleep Deprivation: Lack of sleep can impair your body’s ability to metabolize and absorb nutrients efficiently. It can also negatively affect appetite regulation and your food choices. These two aftereffects of poor sleep often lead to poor eating habits and nutritional deficiencies.

Medications

Certain medications interfere with nutrient absorption or increase the body’s nutrient needs. If you are on any of these medications, they may be affecting you:

• Antibiotics: Long-term antibiotic use can disrupt gut flora and cause vitamin K deficiencies. Antibiotics can also reduce levels of some B vitamins, such as B12, by affecting gut health.
• Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) and H2 Blockers: PPIs decrease stomach acid, which is essential for B12 absorption, causing vitamin B12 deficiency. Over time, reduced stomach acid can interfere with the absorption of minerals, contributing to calcium and magnesium deficiencies and increasing the risk of fractures over time.
• Statins (Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs): Statins can reduce CoQ10 levels, as it is synthesized alongside cholesterol. CoQ10 deficiency can lead to muscle weakness and fatigue.
• Diuretics: Diuretics increase urine production, leading to the loss of essential minerals. This can cause potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and B vitamins deficiencies.
• Metformin (Diabetes Medication): Long-term use of metformin can interfere with B12 absorption. This can lead to vitamin B12 deficiency, increasing the risk of neuropathy and anemia.
• Corticosteroids: Corticosteroids can reduce calcium absorption and increase calcium excretion, which contributes to vitamin D and calcium deficiencies and potentially causes osteoporosis. Corticosteroids can also cause potassium loss, leading to potassium deficiency and consequently to muscle weakness and heart issues.
• Oral Contraceptives: Birth control pills may lower levels of B6, B12, and folate, causing B vitamin deficiency, which can increase the risk of mood disorders. Additionally, oral contraceptives can decrease magnesium and zinc, causing deficient levels of these minerals, which play roles in immune function and mood regulation.
• Antacids (containing aluminum): Prolonged use of aluminum-containing antacids can lead to phosphorus depletion, affecting bone health.
• Anticonvulsants: Anticonvulsants can affect vitamin D metabolism, which is crucial for bone health and immunity.

Chronic Stress

Chronic stress is another cause of nutritional deficiencies since the constant activation of the stress response is harmful at many levels. Long-term stress can affect digestion and nutrient absorption, and deplete your body of essential nutrients. This is how:

• Increased Nutrient Use: Under stress, your body enters a “fight or flight” state, which increases the production of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. This extra production increases your body’s need for more energy and nutrients, such as vitamins C and B, and minerals like magnesium and zinc.
• Reduced Nutrient Absorption: Stress affects the digestive system by slowing digestion as cortisol diverts blood away from the digestive tract. This can lead to indigestion and poor nutrient uptake, particularly for vitamins like B12, iron, and calcium.
• Greater Need for Antioxidants: Stress increases oxidative stress – the buildup of free radicals that damage your cells. As a response, your body uses antioxidants like vitamins C, E, and selenium to neutralize these free radicals. Chronic stress depletes antioxidants faster than normal, creating deficiencies when not replenished appropriately.
• Increased Urinary Excretion of Nutrients: Stress hormones can increase urinary excretion of several nutrients, including magnesium, potassium, and calcium. In turn, these minerals are depleted, causing deficiencies and impacting bone health and muscle function.

In conclusion, the global prevalence of nutritional deficiencies remains a significant public health concern, affecting millions of people across different regions, ages, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Factors like poor and restrictive diets, gut health issues, dehydration, illnesses, eating disorders, harmful habits, lack of sleep, medications, and chronic stress contribute to these deficiencies. By understanding the causes of nutritional deficiencies, you can address these factors, identify the symptoms of nutritional deficiencies, and the solutions to overcome them.

To a Healthier Fitter You,

Adriana Albritton

The Fitness Wellness Mentor