Cystic fibrosis and vitamins
Why do people with
cystic fibrosis’ need to take vitamins?
Many people with cystic fibrosis have problems when
they eat food, making it hard for their intestines to soak up nutrients, especially
fat. To help with this enzymes are taken with meals and snacks. Vitamins A, D, E
& K are unique because they need fat in order to
be ‘soaked up’ by your body, they are called “fat –soluble” vitamins. Even
someone takes enzymes they can still lose fat in their stool. If they are
losing fat their stool. If they are losing fat then they are probably also
losing vitamins. If you don’t take your vitamins, over time, you may develop
low levels in your blood. This is known as vitamin
deficiency.
You may wonder why it
is important for someone with CF to take their vitamins if they don’t have a problem when eat. To understand why,
you must realize that vitamins are important to your body when yo ur healthy,
but they even more important when you sick. People who have CF may find they
get sick more often than people who don’t have CF. To help their bodies fight
an infection they need more vitamins than someone without CF. To help their
bodies fight an infection they need more vitamins than someone without CF. We
ask people with CF to take a vitamin pill because it is very hard to get enough
vitamins from food alone. Our focus is often the Fat soluble vitamins, but it is important to remember that all
vitamins are needed for healthy body.
What do the different fat soluble vitamins do and what
will happen if I do not get enough?
Vitamin A
Vitamin A has many
important roles in the body. It helps you see at night and lets your eyes
adjust when you move from a dark place to a bright place .If you have a vitamin
A deficiency then your eyes may not be
able to get used to changes in light. There have been people with CF who have
reported having this problem. If you think this is a problem. If you think this
is a problem speak to your CF doctor.
Vitamin A also helps
make skin and helps fight infection when you get sick. During childhood it
helps you grow. It is found in eggs, liver, tomatoes, milk
and some fruits & vegetables. For people with CF, food sources are not
enough to prevent vitamin A deficiency. Therefore a vitamin supplement is
usually recommended.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D comes from
two sources. It is made by the skin when it is exposed to sunlight, and it is
found in the foods we eat. It helps your body absorb calcium, and helps move calcium
from your blood to your bones. Without enough vitamin D your bones can weaken
and the chances of break in a bone become greater. While foods such as eggs and
cereals contain vitamin D, the main source is milk. A vitamin supplement is
usually recommended to make sure you get enough every day.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E has become very popular because of its role as an
antioxidant. As you grow your body goes through many changes. As your body
changes it produces harmful products that can destroy your healthy cells. Vitamin
E helps get rid of these harmful products and this is why it is called an
antioxidant. A deficiency of vitamin E can affect your body’s ability to protect
itself when you get sick. For people with cystic fibrosis this may affect their
lungs and their ability to breath. Foods that contain vitamin E include plant
oils, margarines, and some fruits & vegetables. Diet alone cannot prevent a
vitamin E deficiency in people with CF, therefore a supplement is usually
recommended.
Vitamin K
Most of the vitamin K
we need comes from our diet. It is found in
green vegetables, plant oils, and margarine. We also have healthy bacteria in
our intestines that produce vitamin K. Even though the bacteria in your
intestine is healthy, it can be destroyed by the antibiotics you may take for a
lung infection .This can affect the amount of vitamin K you get on a daily basis.
Vitamins K is very important because it helps your blood clot. When you cut
yourself, the time it takes for your cut to stop bleeding is affected by how
much vitamin K you have in your body. The longer it takes to ‘clot’ the less vitamin K you may have Vitamin K is also
important for proper bone growth in children. To prevent a deficiency many
people with CF take a supplement that contains vitamin K.
Dietary sources
Vitamin A Liver
egg yolk
dairy
products green leafy or yellow vegetables
Vitamin D liver fish
fortified
milk and margarine
Vitamin E vegetable oils nuts eggs wheat
germ
Vitamin K Green leafy vegetables liver bacteria
in the intestine also make vitamin K
Why should I take vitamins?
People with CF are at a
very high risk for getting vitamin deficiencies. These deficiencies are serious
and can include symptoms such as night blindness, bone fractures, back pain,
and bleeding. They may also affect how quickly you recover from a lung
infection. You can prevent these deficiencies just by taking your vitamins
recommended by your clinic. To make sure get the most vitamin supplements it is
best to take them with food and enzymes.
