Nutrient deficiencies

Start with context

Write down a few representative eating days, your supplements, and any symptoms that concern you. Look especially at the missing food groups and repeated restrictions. A checklist is used to identify your weak points: it does not mean that you have all these gaps, nor that you have to buy a product or request an analysis for each line.

• Total intake: skipped meals, very low-calorie diet, rapid weight loss and insufficient protein.
• Variety: fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, protein sources, calcium sources and suitable fats.
• Excluded foods: veganism, very selective diet, allergies or removal of entire groups without nutritional replacement.
• Losses: frequent blood donations, bleeding or prolonged diarrhea to report.
• Absorption and needs: digestive disease, bariatric surgery, age and significant alcohol consumption.
• Medications and supplements: metformin, prolonged treatments against stomach acid, diuretics and products already containing the same nutrients, to review with the doctor or pharmacist.

The vitamin and mineral checklist

Work through this list by first checking your usual food sources. The most common priorities depend on your situation: B12 without animal products, iron in case of losses, calcium if its sources are excluded, for example. Nutrients that are more rarely deficient also appear to cover the subject, with a different place in the report.

• Iron: intake, blood donations and other losses. Sources: meat, seafood, legumes; Vitamin C promotes the absorption of plant iron.
• Vitamin B12: reliable source essential in vegan diet, generally by supplementation. Also check for absorption disorders and certain treatments; unenriched plants do not cover this need.
• Vitamin B9, or folate: green vegetables, legumes and varied diet; to check in particular if these sources are rare or in the event of an absorption disorder.
• Vitamin D: low intakes, low sun exposure and bone or digestive context. Discuss the coverage of needs; a dosage is not systematic in a healthy adult.
• Calcium: dairy products, fortified vegetable drinks, calcium-rich waters or other suitable sources. Blood calcium does not directly measure the quality of these intakes.
• Magnesium: nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains. An insufficient intake is not synonymous with a proven deficiency; Cramps and fatigue also have other causes.
• Zinc: meat, seafood, eggs, dairy, legumes and seeds. Vigilance if very restrictive diet or poor absorption; blood testing has limits.
• Iodine: fish, seafood, dairy products and a small amount of iodized salt if you use it. Do not increase salt to obtain iodine, nor rely on highly variable algae.
• Vitamin C: regular fruits and vegetables, including peppers, kiwis and citrus fruits; to look if fresh foods are almost absent.
• Vitamin A and carotenoid precursors: eggs, dairy products and orange or green vegetables. Check intake without automatically resorting to high doses of retinol.
• Vitamin E: vegetable oils, almonds, hazelnuts and seeds; especially monitor very restrictive diets or difficulties absorbing fats.
• Vitamin K: green vegetables and varied diet; Absorption disorders can change needs. It is not a mandatory supplement with each vitamin D intake.
• Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6: varied intake via legumes, whole grains, eggs, dairy products, meat or fish depending on the vitamin. B1 particularly important in cases of malnutrition or significant alcoholism.
• Biotin, or B8/B7: rare deficiency, to consider in special situations. Megadoses for hair have no established benefit in a person without a deficiency.
• Copper: nuts, seeds, seafood and legumes; to consider in particular after digestive surgery or prolonged high-dose zinc intake.
• Selenium: fish, eggs, meat and other foods depending on their origin. Do not use large quantities of Brazil nuts as a precise dose: their content varies greatly.
• Potassium: vegetables, fruits, legumes and potatoes. Diarrhea, vomiting or certain medications can modify blood levels; do not correct alone with tablets.
• Phosphorus, manganese and molybdenum: present in many foods. Nutritional deficits are unusual with a varied diet; exploration especially in specific medical contexts.
• Sodium and chloride: rare dietary deficits in the usual diet. Low blood sodium may be due to a fluid balance disorder or disease, and does not simply justify adding more salt.
• Choline: eggs, fish, meat, soy and legumes; nutrient to consider in a restrictive diet, without routine dosage to optimize appearance.

Choose analyzes that answer a question

If you have persistent fatigue, unusual hair loss or a marked risk factor, a doctor can select the relevant tests. The assessment depends on the symptoms and the clinical examination. A blood concentration does not have the same meaning for each nutrient, and an isolated value must sometimes be interpreted with other results.

• CBC and ferritin: if anemia or iron deficiency is suspected. Depending on the context, inflammation and transferrin saturation help interpret reserves; serum iron alone is not enough.
• Vitamin B12, sometimes folate: depending on diet, anemia or neurological signs. A borderline B12 may require additional testing such as methylmalonic acid.
• 25-OH-vitamin D: when there is a medical indication; not an automatic screening to be repeated in every healthy adult.
• Zinc, magnesium, copper and other minerals: depending on losses, medications, digestive disorders or suggestive symptoms. Not a universal panel or automatic reading of body reserves.
• Other causes: thyroid assessment or digestive research depending on the signs. Fatigue or hair loss may have a non-nutritional origin.

Correct the lack and make the routine sustainable

First replace missing food groups with sources you enjoy and can eat regularly. Keep a few simple foods in your usual shopping: legumes, eggs or a suitable alternative, fruits, vegetables, nuts and a source of calcium. For proteins, refer to the dedicated article. A targeted supplement can then supplement these contributions or treat a diagnosed deficiency.

For prescribed treatment, agree on the dose, duration and possible monitoring. Associate the socket with a mark compatible with the instructions, then keep a single list of your products to spot duplicates. Iron does not set automatically; a deficiency also merits investigating its cause. Report biotin to the laboratory, as it may interfere with some tests.