Deficiency
Common deficiency diseases and prevention.
Deficiency
Deficiency Diseases
What you'll learn
- Deficiency diseases when diet lacks specific nutrients over long time.
- Key examples: Vitamin A (night blindness), Vitamin C (scurvy intro), Iron (anaemia), Iodine (goitre intro), Protein (kwashiorkor intro at simple level).
- Prevention through varied diet and iodised salt.
- NCERT Looking Around 5, Chapter 3 (From Tasting to Digesting) and health messages in EVS.
Key concepts
Level 1 — Nutrient → deficiency link
Verbal: Eating only rice long-term may lack protein and vitamins — body shows symptoms.
Symbolic: Missing nutrient X → deficiency disease Y → prevent with food Z.
| Deficiency | Disease / symptom | Prevent with |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A | Poor night vision | Carrot, papaya, green leafy, egg |
| Vitamin C | Bleeding gums (scurvy) | Amla, citrus, guava |
| Iron | Anaemia, tiredness | Spinach, jaggery, lentils |
| Iodine | Goitre (neck swelling) | Iodised salt, seafood |
| Protein (severe) | Poor growth, swelling (kwashiorkor intro) | Dal, milk, eggs |
NCERT link: Ch 3 — balanced eating; government iodised salt campaign.
Level 2 — Prevention and Indian context
Verbal: Mid-day meal and Anganwadi programmes aim to reduce malnutrition.
Real-life: ORS for dehydration (not deficiency but related health); ₹ affordable greens at sabzi mandi.
| Habit | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Colourful plate | Many vitamins |
| Iodised salt logo (smiling sun) | Iodine supply |
| Limit junk-only meals | Avoid empty calories |
Worked example
Child eats mostly chips and soda. Possible long-term problems?
Step 1 — Low protein, vitamins, minerals.
Step 2 — Weak immunity, poor growth, tiredness.
Step 3 — Risk anaemia, poor vision (vitamin A lack).
Answer: Multiple deficiency risks — need balanced diet.
Why is iodised salt used nationwide?
Step 1 — Iodine needed for thyroid hormone.
Step 2 — Lack → goitre; mental slowdown in severe cases (intro).
Step 3 — Salt is daily food → easy iodine delivery.
Answer: Prevent iodine deficiency disorders.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| One day without vegetables = disease | Confusion acute vs chronic | Deficiency needs long-term lack |
| All tiredness is anaemia | Many causes | Anaemia is one cause — doctor diagnoses |
| Vitamin pills replace food always | Supplement mindset | Food first; supplements under medical advice |
| Only poor children get deficiencies | Diet quality matters | Any unbalanced diet can cause issues |
Quick check
- Night blindness linked to lack of which vitamin?
- Name two iron-rich foods.
- What is on iodised salt packet to look for?
- Stretch: How does mid-day meal scheme help prevent deficiencies?
Revision tip: Memorise a "prevent plate": Vitamin A → carrot; Vitamin C → amla; Iron → spinach; Iodine → iodised salt.
Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Deficiency Diseases.
Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
- What you'll learn
- Key concepts
- Worked example
- Common mistakes
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