Question

Nutrients

Choose a pair of nutrients (one mineral and one vitamin) that works together in the body and then answer the following questions:

What is a common deficiency disorder of these nutrients? What diet and/or lifestyle factors contribute to risk of deficiency?

What diet recommendations could you make to a patient with this deficiency disorder?

For the vitamin you chose, suppose that it is likely to reach toxic levels in the body from excessive supplementation and then answer the following questions: What are the risks of toxicity?

What is the solubility of your vitamin choice? How can the level of the vitamin that you chose be measured in the body?

Answer 1

1) Ans )
               The body requires many different vitamins and minerals that are crucial for both body development and preventing disease. These vitamins and minerals are often referred to as micronutrients. They aren’t produced naturally in the body, so you have to get them from your diet.

A nutritional deficiency occurs when the body doesn’t absorb or get from food the necessary amount of a nutrient

Iron deficiency

The most widespread nutritional deficiency worldwide is iron deficiency. Iron deficiency can lead to anemia. This is a blood disorder that causes fatigue, weaknesses, and a variety of other symptoms.

Iron is Found in foods such as dark leafy greens, red meat, and egg yolks. It helps your body make red blood cells. When you’re iron-deficient, your body produces fewer red blood cells. The red blood cells it produces are smaller and paler than healthy blood cells. They’re also less efficient at delivering oxygen to your tissues and organs

In fact, it’s the only nutritional deficiency that’s prevalent in both developing and industrialized countries. Iron deficiency anemia affects so many people that it’s now widely recognized as a public health epidemic.

Iron deficiency anemia relates directly to a lack of iron in the body. The cause of the iron deficiency varies, however.

Some common causes include:

poor diet or not enough iron in the diet

blood loss

a decreased ability to absorb iron

pregnancy

Poor diet:

Diets that lack iron are a leading cause of iron deficiency.

Foods rich in iron, such as eggs and meat, supply the body with much of the iron it needs to produce hemoglobin. If a person does not eat enough to maintain their iron supply, an iron deficiency can develop

Groups that are at risk include:

Vegetarians: People, such as vegetarians, who eat a plant-based diet, may be lacking in iron. To combat this, they should be sure to include foods rich in iron, such as beans or fortified cereals. Vegetarians who also eat seafood should consider oysters or salmon, as a part of their regular diet.

Women: Monthly menstrual cycles can put women and teenage girls at an increased risk of iron deficiency.

Anemia treatment plans often include dietary changes. The best diet plan for anemia includes foods rich in iron and other vitamins essential to hemoglobin and red blood cell production. It should also include foods that help your body absorb iron better.

There are two types of iron in foods: heme iron and nonheme iron. Heme iron is found

in plant foods and foods fortified with iron. Your body can absorb both types, but it absorbs heme iron more easily.

Although anemia treatment plans are individualized, most require 150 to 200 milligrammes of iron daily. It’s hard to get these levels through diet alone. You may also need to take prescription iron or an over-the-counter iron supplement until your levels are replenished.

Leafy greens. Leafy greens, especially dark ones, are among the best sources of nonheme iron

Meat and poultry. All meat and poultry contain heme iron

Liver

Seafood

Fortified foods.

Beans.

Nuts and seeds

iron overdose can be especially toxic. "Iron supplements have killed young children because their needs for iron compared to an adult's are relatively low," Thomas says. If you take iron supplements, it is very important to keep them in a high, locked cabinet, far out of your children's reach. Symptoms of iron poisoning include severe vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, dehydration, and bloody stool in children.

It's difficult for adults to overdose on iron just from food and supplements, because an adult body has systems in place to regulate the amount of iron it absorbs. However, people with the inherited condition hemochromatosis have trouble regulating their iron absorption.

Although most people only absorb about 10% of the iron they consume, people with hemochromatosis absorb up to 30%. As a result, the iron in their body can build up to dangerous levels. That excess iron can deposit in organs such as the liver, heart, and pancreas, which can lead to conditions like cirrhosis, heart failure, and diabetes.

For that reason, people with hemochromatosis should not take iron supplementss

Iron is found in many over-the-counter (OTC) multivitamins. Iron toxicity from intentional or accidental ingestion is a common poisoning. The acute ingestion of iron is especially hazardous to children. Life-threatening toxicity is associated with pediatric ingestion of potent adult preparations, such as prenatal vitamins. Serious iron ingestion in adults is usually associated with suicide attempts.

‌Accidental ingestions are more common in children less than 6 years. In addition, iron toxicity may also develop after multiple blood transfusions for a chronic disorder like thalassemia, sickle cell, and hematological cancers
‌Ingestion of less than 20 mg/kg of elemental iron is non-toxic. Ingestion of 20 mg/kg to 60 mg/kg results in moderate symptoms. Ingestion of more than 60 mg/kg can result in severe toxicity and lead to severe morbidity and mortality. The amount of elemental iron ingested is different depending on the formulations of iron salts. The most common iron formulations are 325 mg ferrous sulfate tablets, which contains 20% (or 65 mg) of elemental iron per tablet; 300 mg ferrous gluconate tablets, which contain 12% (or 36 mg) of elemental iron per tablet; and 100 mg ferrous fumarate tablets, which contain 33% (or 33 mg) of elemental iron per tablet.

The diagnosis of iron toxicity is based on the history and clinical presentation. Serum iron levels are used to determine a patient’s potential for toxicity

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