In this Article

• Maintaining health
• Preventing and controlling diseases
• Vitamins and minerals to maintain health
• Vitamin supplements to prevent diseases
• Diets to control and or treat disease
• Prevention Glossary
• Prevention Index

Vitamins and minerals to maintain health

Vitamins and mineral supplements are important both in preventing deficiency states as well as in preventing diseases. Most diseases resulting from vitamin deficiencies such as scurvy (vitamin C deficiency), blindness (vitamin A deficiency), and beriberi (thiamine deficiency) occur mainly in third-world countries and are almost nonexistent in the United States. But certain special populations in the United States can develop vitamin or mineral deficiencies, and thus require dietary supplements. For example,

• severely malnourished alcoholics can develop nerve damage from thiamine deficiency;



• elderly individuals lacking sun exposure can develop bone disease from vitamin D deficiency;



• pernicious anemia is a condition, along with nerve damage, than can result from vitamin B12 deficiency; and



• people with celiac sprue can also develop vitamin deficiencies as well as iron deficiency.

For these special populations, vitamin supplements are important to prevent these deficiencies.

Vitamins supplements to prevent diseases

Vitamin supplements are not only used to prevent deficiencies but also used to prevent diseases. Certain vitamin supplements (such as folic acid, vitamin B6, and B12) have been used to lower blood levels of homocysteine, which may help prevent heart attacks. Folic acid fortification in cereals and vitamin supplements has been found to decrease the risk of birth defects in women of childbearing age.

Suggested Reading by Our Doctors

• Diabetes - Learn about type 1 and 2 diabetes (Diabetes Mellitus) symptoms including increased urination, thirst, weight loss, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, skin infections, and blurred vision. Causes and diagnosis information is provided in the information.
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