Question

What is a deficiency disease? Explain any two deficiency diseases associated with nutrients.

Answer 1

Deficiency disease:

1. Diseases that are caused due to lack of one or more nutrients in the diet are called deficiency diseases.
2. Deficiency diseases occur due to prolonged deficiency of specific diseases.

Examples of deficiency diseases:

1. Two common examples of deficiency diseases are scurvy and anemia.
2. Scurvy: Deficiency of vitamin C causes scurvy.
   • Scurvy affects the gums below the teeth as the people suffering from this deficiency have bleeding gums.
3. Anemia: Deficiency of iron leads to anemia due to lack of RBC.
   • Iron is an essential component in hemoglobin and hence it is necessary for the production of RBC.
   • Lack of iron leads to low RBC production making the person anemic and causes weakness.