"...all doctors should be able to diagnose and treat nutritional deficiencies."
Royal College of Physicians. Nutrition and Patients: A Doctor's Responsibility. London 2002
This page has been printed from the www.stewartnutrition.co.uk web site.
The Four Uses of Essential Nutrients and the Consequences of Deficiency
During the course of a lifetime the body can utilise an essential nutrient in only four ways. Disruption in nutrient supply will result eventually in a loss of one or more of these four uses, and to a clinically recognisable picture of a loss of growth, reproduction, storage or maintenance depending upon the phase of the lifecycle the person is in.
References
- Adapted from Physiological Ecology: An Evolutionary Approach to Resource Use. Blackwell Scientific Publications 1981. (eds Townsend and Callow)
- See also Powerpoint presentation by Professor Tom Kirkwood www.nesc.ac.uk/talks/ahm2007/keynote3.pdf
| Tissue | Nutrient |
| 1. Growth - mainly before birth and in the first two years, and up to the first two decades | |
| Weight | protein-energy |
| Height | protein-energy, iodine, zinc, iron and vitamin A |
| Organ size | many nutrients, e.g. calcium and vitamin D for skeleton |
| 2. Reproduction - mainly in the third and fourth decades | |
| Sexual maturity | protein-energy and body weight/fat content |
| Amenorrhoea | protein-energy and zinc |
| Infertility | vitamin B12 and probably many nutrients |
| Miscarriage | folic acid and vitamin C |
| Foetal deformity | folic acid, vitamin B12 and choline |
| Birth weight | protein-energy, zinc and iron |
| Foetal development | calcium, vitamin D and many other nutrients, iodine, zinc, EFAs and vitamin B12 |
| Male fertility | zinc and probably other nutrients |
| 3. Storage - depends on degree of supply and often on the past pattern of growth | |
| Adipose tissue | energy, vitamins A and E |
| Muscle | protein, energy, potassium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin B6 |
| Liver | energy, vitamins A, B12, folate, other B vitamins and iron |
| Bone | calcium, magnesium and sodium |
| Bone marrow | vitamin A and iron |
| Thyroid | iodine |
| Blood | vitamin D (25OH vitamin D) |
| 4. Maintenance - main use of nutrients during a lifetime | |
| Red blood cells | protein, iron, vitamin B12, folate, copper, vitamins A and riboflavin |
| Immunity | protein-energy, zinc, selenium, vitamins A and B group |
| Skin | essential fatty acids, zinc, vitamins B and C |
| Muscle | protein-energy, potassium, magnesium, phosphate and thiamin |
| Liver | protein-energy and choline |
| Eye | vitamin A, zinc and essential fatty acids |
| CNS | thiamin, vitamin B12 and essential fatty acids |
| Skeleton | calcium, vitamins D, K and C |
