What Occurs if Essential Nutrients Are Not in the Diet?

Long-term nutritional deficiencies can be deadly.

An essential nutrient, by definition, is one which the body cannot make in sufficient amounts. These nutrients must be obtained from the diet or a supplement. Essential nutrients include vitamins, minerals and protein. Inadequate intake over time leads to deficiency symptoms and diseases. The worst-case scenario for long-term deficiency is usually death.

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Fat-Soluble Vitamins

Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble, and are stored in body tissues. This means a daily source of these vitamins is not necessary because the stored amounts last for several days. Without adequate vitamin A over time, night vision will become impaired. In the long term, a hardening of the eye tissue will result in irreversible blindness. Vitamin D helps calcium balance in the body. Lack of vitamin D prevents calcium from being absorbed properly into the bones, and bone malformations occur. Deficiency of vitamins E and K may result in bleeding abnormalities.

Water-Soluble Vitamins

Vitamins in this class are easily flushed out of the body, necessitating a regular daily intake for vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins. Vitamin C helps compose collagen, part of the structure of blood vessels and cartilage. Without vitamin C these solid structures become spongy and start to leak blood. Eventually death will occur from blood loss. Thiamin, niacin and riboflavin help the body use carbohydrates for energy. When normal biochemical functions are disrupted from lack of these vitamins, symptoms begin to show up as mouth sores, skin rashes, and nerve damage. Folate and vitamin B12 are needed for replication of cells, most notably red blood cells which must be replaced every 120 days. Lack of these vitamins leads to anemia and eventual death.

Minerals

Calcium, the most abundant mineral in the body, is primarily needed for healthy bone structure, but is also needed in tiny amounts in the blood for nerve impulses and muscle contraction. As a result of poor calcium intake, the body will leach calcium from the bones to assure adequate amounts in the blood. Long-term deficiency leads to osteoporosis. Other minerals necessary for nerve impulses and muscle contraction include sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and chloride, collectively known as electrolytes. If the blood concentration of any one of these goes too far out of normal range, the heartbeat is affected and the consequence is fatal. Also important to health are the minerals iron and zinc. Iron is found in the compound hemoglobin, which carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to all the body's cells. Deficiency results in anemia, which can be fatal if blood is not replaced by transfusion. Zinc is important in immune function and wound healing. Inadequate zinc intake can lead to infection and poor healing of wounds, both of which can lead to death.

Protein

Protein in the diet is needed to make proteins in the body, including antibodies, hormones, storage and transport proteins such as hemoglobin, structural tissues and organs. Antibodies help fend off bacteria and viruses; a protein-deficient person becomes susceptible to diseases. Long-term protein deficiency leads to muscle wasting and shrinking of organ mass. Eventually, organs like the heart and kidneys can no longer sustain their function and death occurs.