Vitamins and minerals are needed for human survival. Unhealthy eating habits and food adulteration can cause a deficiency in these essential nutrients, reducing our body's ability to fight illnesses. This profile was created to detect common vitamin deficiencies, including vitamin D, vitamin B12, and folic acid.
Vitamins serve a critical part in maintaining good health. Any deficit or excess of these vitamins, on the other hand, is detrimental to one's health. Vitamin shortage can result from a poor diet, whilst excessive supplementing might result from overdoing it.
Vitamins are classified as Water soluble and Fat-soluble vitamins.
Fat-soluble vitamins include: Vitamin A, K, D, and E
Water-soluble vitamins include Vitamin B-1 (Thiamine), B-2 (Riboflavin), B-3 (Niacin), B-5 (Pantothenic acid), B-6 (Pyridoxine), B-7 (Biotin), B-9 (Folate), B-12 (Cobalamin), and Vitamin C.
The most common vitamins which are found deficient include Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin B9.
If you have symptoms of vitamin D deficiency like bone malformation in children (rickets), bone weakness, or fractures in adults (osteomalacia)
If you have risk factors for vitamin D deficiency like old age, limited sun exposure, obesity, or you have undergone gastric bypass surgery
If you have symptoms of anemia like weakness, tiredness, pale skin (deficiency of B12), or folic acid deficiency
If you have symptoms or signs of nerve problems like numbness, burning in hands, feet, arms, tingling sensation which may be due to vitamin B12 deficiency
