[dropcap]Z[/dropcap]inc is an essential trace mineral that is involved in numerous aspects of cellular metabolism, being essential for activation of almost 200 enzymes that have vital roles in the body.
Q: What happens when enzymes do not get activated?
A: When enzymes do not get activated, they cannot perform their necessary functions which, in turn, damages health.
Zinc promotes healthy skin, hair, immunity, fertility, and growth.
A daily intake of zinc is required to maintain a steady state because the body has no specialized zinc storage system.1 Functions are more fully described below.
[dropcap]C[/dropcap]heilosis is a painful feature of nutritional deficiencies, especially riboflavin and/or pyridoxine deficiency, and less frequently, from vitamin B12, folic acid, and iron. It is characterized by redness of the lips with cracking and weeping in the corner of the mouth.
Q: What is the consequence of weeping at the corners of the mouth?
A: The open sores that develop at the corners of the mouth invite infection by candida albicans, a yeast organism, and less commonly by bacteria normally present on the skin such as staphylococcus aureus.
These sores make opening the mouth very painful and so restrict eating, talking, socializing, and dental care.
What Is Cheilosis In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
[dropcap]G[/dropcap]eographic tongue is a painful alteration in tongue tissue that is characteristic of riboflavin (vitamin B2) deficiency.1
Q: How does the tongue surface appear?
A: Areas of inflamed tissue with flattened papillae develop among areas of normal tissue, giving a map-like appearance to the tongue surface. There are often swollen papillae that hurt or sting, such as is seen in the photo to the left.
A diet that does not provide adequate amounts of riboflavin and any condition that 1) interferes with riboflavin absorption from the gut, 2) depletes the vitamin from the body, 3) overuses the vitamin in the body, or 4) adversely affects its use in the body will result in riboflavin deficiency causing geographic tongue.
Riboflavin is essential for converting foodstuffs into energy, maintaining the normal lifespan of red blood cells and maintaining healthy skin, eyes, hair, and nervous system. Riboflavin is converted into its active forms, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and flavin mononucleotide (FMN). These enzymes are primarily involved as co-factors in oxidation reduction reactions that are essential for cellular energy production and respiration.
Riboflavin is required for the conversion of pyridoxine (vitamin B6) to its functional form and the production of niacin (vitamin B3) from the amino acid tryptophan. Riboflavin has a role in antioxidant status by activating glutathione reductase, which regenerates used glutathione, a powerful antioxidant.
Respiratory infection, exercise, certain diseases, drugs and hormones can adversely influence riboflavin status.2 Stress is a major depleter of riboflavin.
What Is Geographic Tongue In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
What Is Dysphagia? [dropcap]D[/dropcap]ysphagia is a functional upper digestive disorder characterized by difficulty in swallowing or food getting stuck and swallowing that takes longer than 10 seconds to complete. Q: What determines the symptoms? A:…
Heartburn Due to Acidic Stomach Contents Re-entering the Esophagus.
What Is Heartburn?
[dropcap]H[/dropcap]eartburn is a functional upper digestive symptom of esophagitis that is characterized by a burning sensation behind the breastbone.
Q: Why does esophagitis cause heartburn?
A: Esophagitis is inflammation of the mucosal lining of the esophagus. The most common cause of esophagitis is the re-entering of stomach contents into the esophagus because the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) does not close tightly after food or fluids enter the stomach from the esophagus and/or the LES does not remain tightly closed.
The LES is located at the junction of the esophagus and the stomach. It functions like a circular band to tighten after food is ingested in order to prevent its going back up the esophagus when powerful stomach muscles churn ingested food.
Damage to the lining of the esophagus (esophagitis) results upon contact with hydrochloric acid and pepsin in gastric juice. Hydrochloric acid, produced by the stomach to dissolve food, inflames the esophagus, which is the opposite, or alkaline. Pepsin, produced by the stomach to dissolve protein in swallowed food, acts on the inflamed esophagus to break down the protein in its sore wall.
Heartburn can be caused by other disorders such as low stomach acid, obesity, and smoking. Relaxation of the LES can also result from dietary items such as chocolate, mint, caffeine, and alcoholic drinks.
Who is Affected in the General Population? Heartburn affects an estimated 42% of the US population.1
What Is Heartburn In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
What Is Chronic Or Recurrent Abdominal Pain? [dropcap]A[/dropcap]bdominal pain is characterized by pain anywhere in the abdominal cavity between the chest and groin. This region is often referred to as the belly. Abdominal pain, or…
Malnourished Infant With Acute Diarrhea and Swollen Belly.
What Is Acute Diarrhea?
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]cute diarrhea is a small intestinal motility disorder characterized by excessively rapid movement of intestinal contents through the small intestine with excessive loss of fluid and electrolytes that leads rapidly to a life threatening hypokalemia (low potassium blood level) and acidosis.
Q: What is hypokalemia?
A: Hypokalemia is characterized by dehydration that may result in vascular collapse, muscular malfunction that may result in paralytic ileus (bowels do not move), paralysis (cannot stand), and respiratory hypoventilation (shallow breathing) or failure, metabolic acidosis resulting from diarrhea, and impaired nerve conduction.1
While diarrhea may be a common symptom of small bowel mucosal disease, the consequent malabsorption can lead to substantial malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies. The small intestine, unlike the colon, has been relatively inaccessible, and systematic evaluation is often necessary to identify and treat small intestinal mucosal diseases that lead to diarrhea. All patients with severe diarrhea or diarrhea associated with features suggestive of malabsorption may have a disease of the small intestinal mucosa that requires careful evaluation and targeted management.2
What Is Acute Diarrhea In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Murray JA1, Rubio-Tapia A. Diarrhoea due to small bowel diseases. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2012 Oct;26(5):581-600. doi: 10.1016/j.bpg.2012.11.013. [↩]
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