Question

Deficiency of Vitamin E causes

• A. throat infection
• B. blindness
• C. peptic ulcer
• D. neurological damage and muscle weakness

Hint:

Associate fat-soluble vitamins with their key deficiency syndromes:
Vitamin A is linked to vision (blindness); Vitamin D to bones (rickets); Vitamin K to blood clotting; and Vitamin E to nerves and muscles.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks us to identify the physiological consequences of a deficiency of Vitamin E in the human body.

Step 2: Key Concepts and Nutritional Science:
Vitamin E is a group of fat-soluble compounds called tocopherols and tocotrienols that act as powerful antioxidants.
It protects cell membranes from oxidative damage caused by free radicals and plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy nerve and muscle functions.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:

• Neurological Impact: Vitamin E is essential for the peripheral nervous system.
Its deficiency leads to oxidative stress in nerve cells, which manifests as spinocerebellar ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, and loss of coordination (ataxia).

• Muscular Impact: It causes skeletal myopathy, resulting in severe muscle weakness.

• Evaluating other options:
- Throat infection (Option A) is caused by viral or bacterial pathogens, not a vitamin deficiency.
- Blindness (Option B), specifically night blindness, is a classic symptom of Vitamin A deficiency.
- Peptic ulcer (Option C) is primarily caused by H. pylori infections or prolonged use of NSAIDs, not Vitamin E deficiency.


Step 4: Final Answer:
Thus, the correct physiological consequence of Vitamin E deficiency is neurological damage and muscle weakness, matching Option (D).