Crohn’s disease is a debilitating condition affecting the digestive tract. It can be painful and very difficult to live with. Now new information has come to light on how various vitamins, minerals and supplements can help to ease the symptoms. These vitamins can also help to boost the body’s reserves, which can often be depleted due to the nature of Crohn’s disease.
Many people with Crohn’s disease do manage to take care of their own wellbeing through diet alone, and certainly a healthy balanced diet can go a long way towards providing the body with all the vitamins it needs for long-term wellness, but unfortunately this is not always the case for people with the disease. In most cases, sufferers can benefit from additional vitamins in the diet, and the following ones in particular can make a real difference.
Iron is good for Crohn’s sufferers as the disease can cause bleeding in the intestines, resulting in reduced haemoglobin, which is an iron-laden protein produced by red blood cells, and this can also cause anaemia. A simple blood test can reveal whether or not you require iron supplements.
Vitamin B12 is sometimes necessary because Crohn’s sufferers find it hard to absorb this vitamin due to the area of the intestines that is damaged by the disease. Deficiency of vitamin B12 can cause fatigue and light-headedness.
Folic acid can also be helpful, especially in pregnant women, where the supplement helps to prevent birth defects.
Calcium deficiencies are also common with Crohn’s, due to the body’s inability to absorb the nutrient from food. Fortunately, calcium supplements can be taken to help boost the body’s stores.
Finally, magnesium can be depleted by the diarrhoea that is often present with Crohn’s disease, so it can be useful to replace this in supplement form.
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