Talking About Vitamin Deficiencies

As a trainer I am often asked about the meaning behind strange symptoms my clients are experiencing. They often (always) want a quick fix, such as drink more water and the symptoms will disappear. It's difficult to remember all the many symptoms that can manifest themselves from malnutrition, or the lack  of one specific nutrient. This is why I love to find charts like this one from Precision Nutrition. It does not cover everything as a chart like that would take several pages, but it does cover some of the more common problems people experience.

Deficiencies by body part

	IF YOU HAVE…	YOU MAY BE OR HAVE…
Ankles	Swollen ankles	Over-hydrated
Brain	Memory problems, disorientation or dementia	Niacin (B3), vitamin B12, or thiamine (B1) deficiency
Eyes	Puffy, swollen eyes	Over-hydrated
	Sunken, dull or dry eyes	Vitamin A or zinc deficiency; under-hydration
	Dry eyes with gray spots	Vitamin A deficiency
	Red or difficult-to-control eyes	Riboflavin (B2), pyridoxine (B6), thiamine (B1) or phosphorus deficiency
Face	Acne	Vitamin C deficiency
Feet	Tingling feet	Pyridoxine (B6) or vitamin B12 deficiency
Gums	Sore and spongy or red and swollen	Vitamin C deficiency
Hands	Tingling hands	Pyridoxine (B6) or vitamin B12 deficiency
Lips	Cracked lips	Riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), or pyridoxine (B6) deficiency
Lungs	Shortness of breath	Over-hydrated
Mouth and mucous membranes	Dry mucous membranes	Under-hydrated
	Sore mouth	Pyridoxine (B6) or vitamin B12 deficiency
Muscles	Muscle spasms	Calcium, magnesium or vitamin D deficiency
Nails	Brittle, thin nails	Iron deficiency
Saliva	Sticky saliva / dry mouth	Under-hydrated
Skin	Moist skin	Over-hydrated
	Dry, scaly, pale or bruises easily	Iron, vitamin A, C, K, zinc, essential fatty acid or protein deficiency
	Red spots under your skin’s surface	Vitamin C deficiency
	Cool, pale, clammy skin	Under-hydrated
	Scaly, greasy skin	Vitamin A, zinc or riboflavin (B2) deficiency
Tongue	Purple, white, or smooth and slick; painful	Riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pyridoxine (B6), folic acid (B9), B12, zinc or iron deficiency
	Sore tongue	Pyridoxine (B6) or Vitamin B12 deficiency
Urine	Light-coloured urine	Over-hydrated
	Dark coloured urine	Under-hydrated