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Laxatives |
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Lubricant Laxatives |
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Depletions |
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Beta-Carotene |
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This nutrient is converted to vitamin A by the body, therefore, deficiency
symptoms are the same as those of vitamin A. The earliest symptom is night
blindness. Prolonged deficiency leads to more advanced changes in eye tissue.
Other potential signs of mild to moderate deficiency include rough, dry skin,
loss of appetite, loss of hair luster, brittle nails, joint pain, and possibly
increased susceptibility to infection. |
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Vitamin
A
(Retinol) |
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The earliest symptom of deficiency of this nutrient is night blindness.
Prolonged deficiency leads to more advanced changes in eye tissue. Other
potential signs of mild to moderate deficiency include rough, dry skin, loss of
appetite, loss of hair luster, brittle nails, joint pain, and possibly increased
susceptibility to infection. |
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Vitamin
D |
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Vitamin D deficiency leads to abnormal bone formation (rickets) in children
and softening of the bones (osteomalacia) in adults. Vitamin D deficiency
interferes with calcium absorption, leading to deficiency of that nutrient with
all of the associated symptoms (such as increased risk of fractures,
osteoporosis (bone loss), and muscle weakness). Because this nutrient is
fat-soluble, prolonged periods of deficiency are required to produce these
symptoms. |
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Vitamin
E |
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While deficiency of this nutrient is uncommon, it negatively affects muscle
tissue, red blood cells, nervous, and reproductive systems. Over the long-term,
depleted levels of this nutrient may also be associated with cancer, heart
disease, and altered immune function. |
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Vitamin
K |
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The major symptom of vitamin K deficiency is an inability of the blood to
clot properly, which may lead to excessive bleeding and a tendency to bruise
easily. |
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Editorial Note |
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Supporting Research |
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Ames BN. Micronutrient deficiencies: A major cause of DNA damage. Ann NY
Acad Sci. 2000;889:87-106.
Burrows MT. and Farr WK. The action of mineral oil per os on the organism.
Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1927;24:719-723.
Covington T, ed. Nonprescription Drug Therapy Guiding Patient
Self-Care. St Louis, MO: Facts and Comparisons; 1999:467-545.
Fauci A. ed. et. al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine.
Fourteenth Edition. New York, Mc-Graw-Hill Companies Health Professional
Division, 1998.
Holick MF, Krane SM, Potts JT. Calcium, phosphorus, and bone metabolism:
calcium-regulating hormones. In: Fauci AS, Braunwald E, Isselbacher KJ, et al,
eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 14th ed. New
York: McGraw-Hill Companies Health Professional Division; 1998:2221-2222.
International Life Sciences Institute, Present Knowledge in Nutrition.
Seventh Edition. Washington, DC, ILSI Press, 1996.
Kirschmann G. and Kirschmann J. Nutrition Almanac. Fourth Edition.
McGraw-Hill, 1996.
National Research Council. Recommended Dietary Allowances.
10th ed. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 1989.
Rao DS. Perspective on assessment of vitamin D nutrition. J Clin
Densitom. 1999:2(4):457-464.
Vieth R. Vitamin D supplementation, 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, and
safety. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;69:842-856. |
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Review Date:
October 2000 |
Reviewed By:
All depletions monographs have been reviewed by a
team of experts including
Derrick M. DeSilva, Jr., MD, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy, NJ;
Jacqueline A. Hart, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, Newton-Wellesley
Hospital, Harvard University and Senior Medical Editor, A.D.A.M., Inc., Boston,
MA; John Hinze, PharmD, NMD, Woodbine, IA; Ruth Marlin, MD, Medical Director and
Director of Medical Education, Preventive Medicine Research Institute,
Sausalito, CA; Brian T Sanderoff, PD, BS in Pharmacy, Clinical Assistant
Professor, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy; President, Your
Prescription for Health, Owings Mills, MD; Leonard Wisneski, MD, FACP, George
Washington University, Rockville, MD; Ira Zunin, MD, MPH, MBA, President and
Chairman, Hawaii State Consortium for Integrative Medicine, Honolulu,
HI.
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