An insufficient supply of vitamin B may cause vitamin B deficiency. Vitamin B has 8 different forms – thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, pyridoxine, folic acid, cyanocobalamin, biotin and pantothenic acid and lack of supply in any of these 8 types may lead to vitamin B deficiency problem. Vitamin B plays a major role in human body development and proper functioning, thus vitamin B deficiency may cause a serious problem in an individual’s life.
Vitamin B complex is a water soluble substance vital to many bodily functioning, blood formation and cell formation. Most commonly vitamin B deficiency occurs as a result of deficiencies in thiamin or B1, riboflavin or B2, ninacin, pyridoxine or B6 and cobalamin B12. Vitamin B deficiency for thiamin may result from limited supply of dietary intake of thiamin. In addition, thiamin deficiency may result from moderate level of alcohol consumption, chronic diarrhea problem or emergency requirement during pregnancy days. Both pregnant and lactating mothers may suffer from thiamin deficiency.
Riboflavin deficiency develops when the diet lacks sufficient supply of milk, fish, meat, green and leafy vegetables, and legumes. Chronic diarrhea and alcoholism may cause riboflavin deficiency. If milk is exposed to sunlight or if legumes are treated with baking soda, then riboflavin deficiency may occur. Pyridoxine deficiency develops as a result of autoclaving of infant’s formula, which causes destruction of pyridoxine. Cobalamin or vitamin B12 deficiency develops as a result of absence of intrinsic factors in either gastrointestinal secretions or receptor sites following an ileal resection.
Apart from all these factors, vitamin B deficiency may develop as a result of malabsorption syndromes linked with sprue, local ileitis, intestinal worm or gluten enteropathy. People having a diet low in animal protein for a prolonged period of time may also develop a vitamin B deficiency problem.
Depending on the type of the vitamin B deficiency, a wide variety of signs and symptoms may appear including Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s psychosis, infantile beriberi, edema, cheilosis, seborrheic dermatitis, anorexia, headache, muscle weakness, indigestion, dermatitis, vomiting, abdominal pain, seizures and many others. Appropriate supply of dietary intake can correct and prevent this vitamin deficiency problem.