Deficiency diseases

What is a deficiency disease?

Why are we told to eat fruits, vegetables and other plant foods every day? They are rich in vitamins and minerals, the protective nutrients that keep the body healthy. We need them only in small amounts, but when one or more nutrients are missing from the diet for a long time, the body shows symptoms of a deficiency disease or disorder. The chapter explains this through two true cases.

Case 1: sailors and scurvy

In earlier times, sailors on long sea voyages often suffered from bleeding and swollen gums. During a voyage in 1746, the Scottish physician James Lind observed that sailors who ate lemons and oranges recovered. Bleeding and swollen gums are symptoms of scurvy, which is caused by a lack of vitamin C. Citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges contain vitamin C, which helps cure the disease.

Case 2: goitre and iodised salt

In the 1960s, Indian scientists found that swelling at the front of the neck was common among people in the Himalayan region and the Northern plains. The soil of these regions lacked iodine, so the local food and water lacked it too. Following government norms, common salt was supplemented with iodine to make iodised salt, and its use visibly reduced the symptoms. Swelling at the front of the neck is a symptom of goitre.

Iodised salt is simply common salt mixed with the required quantities of salts of iodine. Salt itself comes from the sea and rocks: the Agariya community of the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat works for eight months in the extreme heat of the desert to get salt from seawater (see separating salt by evaporation).

The chart of vitamins and minerals

The book’s chart (Fig. 3.5) lists the protective nutrients, what they do, some sources, and what happens when they are lacking.

Nutrient	What it does	Some sources	Disease or disorder	Symptoms
Vitamin A	Keeps eyes and skin healthy	Papaya, carrot, mango, milk	Loss of vision	Poor vision, loss of vision in darkness (night blindness), sometimes complete loss of vision
Vitamin B1	Keeps the heart healthy and supports body functions	Legumes, nuts, wholegrains, seeds, milk products	Beriberi	Swelling, tingling or burning in feet and hands, trouble in breathing
Vitamin C	Helps the body fight diseases	Amla, guava, green chilli, orange, lemon	Scurvy	Bleeding gums, slow healing of wounds
Vitamin D	Helps the body absorb calcium for bones and teeth	Sunlight, milk, butter, fish, eggs	Rickets	Soft and bent bones
Calcium	Keeps bones and teeth healthy	Milk or soya milk, curd, cheese, paneer	Bone and tooth decay	Weak bones, tooth decay
Iodine	Helps us do physical and mental activities	Seaweed, water chestnut (singhada), iodised salt	Goitre	Swelling at the front of the neck
Iron	An important part of blood	Green leafy vegetables, beetroot, pomegranate	Anaemia	Weakness, shortness of breath

How can we overcome deficiencies?

• Eat a balanced diet with milk, green vegetables, fruits and wholegrains every day (see what is a balanced diet).
• Eat some raw fruits and vegetables. High heat during cooking destroys some vitamin C, and washing cut or peeled vegetables washes away some vitamins, so wash them well before cutting.
• Use iodised salt to get enough iodine.
• Spend some time in sunlight: the body makes vitamin D when the skin is exposed to it.
• See a doctor if you notice symptoms. A doctor may advise changes in diet and, if needed, supplements.

Survey: Activity 3.4

In Activity 3.4 you study the chart, find more sources of vitamins and minerals, and, under a teacher’s guidance, talk to people in your neighbourhood. If someone shows a symptom on the chart, link it to their diet, suggest the possible cause and the change in diet that may help, and advise them to visit a doctor.

A scientist who fought deficiencies

Coluthur Gopalan (1918–2019) started nutrition research in India. He analysed more than 500 Indian foods for their nutritional value and recommended a suitable diet for Indians. His surveys found widespread deficiencies of protein, energy and other food components. This led to the Mid Day Meal Programme in 2002, now part of PM POSHAN, which provides balanced food in government and government-aided schools and has improved the health and nutrition of millions of children.

To learn what each nutrient does, read components of food. For the textbook’s questions, see the Chapter 3 NCERT solutions; for the whole chapter, see the Chapter 3 notes.