Malnutrition—B Vitamins

The B vitamins are

• B1 (thiamine)
• B2 (riboflavin)
• B3 (niacin)
• B5 (pantothenic acid)
• B6
• B7 (biotin)
• B12
• Folic acid

These vitamins help the process your body uses to get or make energy from the food you eat. They also help form red blood cells. You can get B vitamins from proteins such as fish, poultry, meat, eggs, and dairy products. Leafy green vegetables, beans, and peas also have B vitamins. Many cereals and some breads have added B vitamins.

Not getting enough of certain B vitamins can cause diseases. A lack of B12 or B6 can cause anemia.

• Anemia – B12 deficiency (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Beriberi (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Methylmalonic acid blood test (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Niacin (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pantothenic acid and biotin (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pellagra (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Riboflavin (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Thiamin (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Vitamin B12 (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Vitamin B12 level (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Vitamin B6 (Medical Encyclopedia)

Food provides the energy and nutrients you need to be healthy. If you don’t get enough nutrients — including proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals – you may suffer from malnutrition.

Causes of malnutrition include:

• Lack of specific nutrients in your diet. Even the lack of one vitamin can lead to malnutrition.
• An unbalanced diet
• Certain medical problems, such as malabsorption syndromes and cancers

Symptoms may include fatigue, dizziness, and weight loss. Or, you may have no symptoms. To diagnose the cause of the problem, your doctor may do blood tests and a nutritional assessment. Treatment may include replacing the missing nutrients and treating the underlying cause.

• Beriberi (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Kwashiorkor (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Malnutrition (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pellagra (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pica (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Scurvy (Medical Encyclopedia)