Vitamin Deficiency Causing White Spots on Skin

The skin is the largest organ of the body and it really does take a beating. It is continually exposed to the elements, sun, blue light, and a myriad of external pollutants and toxins. 

The good news is that the skin does a great job of keeping bad stuff out of our bodies and staying healthy on its own. The not-so-great news is that through the course of daily life, and even with excellent skincare regimens and protection, the skin naturally begins to show signs of wear and age. 

In addition to the wrinkles and laugh lines we all get from simply staying alive longer, skin conditions may give us clues to internal issues, like vitamin and nutrient deficiencies. The sudden development of white spots on the skin can be concerning, and they may mean you need a dietary adjustment. 

We’ll talk about what causes white spots on the skin and how to correct a nutrient deficiency if that is the cause. We’ll also talk about another nutrient deficiency that nearly one in three people have (globally), how serious it is, and what we can do to fix it. 

What Causes White Skin Spots?

Some white spots on the skin are a natural part of aging. These spots usually develop over time, and we are aware of their presence and how they change. Some spots, however, seem to crop up overnight leaving us wondering if we need to see a dermatologist. 

If you’ve woken up to a few white spots, there are a few probable causes.

Sun Damage

Continual exposure to the sun without sun protection can lead to damaged skin cells that lose their ability to produce melanin. This condition, called idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis, or “IGH” is primarily seen on the arms and legs. 

Genetics may cause a person to develop these sun-related white spots. These spots are harmless, but they are permanent.

Fungal Infections

White spots that appear over a few days or weeks may be due to a fungal skin infection. These white spots may be accompanied by itchy skin or dry skin. You may also notice that the white spots begin to spread. If you suspect that you have a skin infection, see your dermatologist for a topical medication to eliminate the fungus.

Autoimmune Disorders

Some autoimmune disorders may cause white patches on the skin. Vitiligo is a skin condition that causes the skin to lose pigmentation in large patches. 

It’s also possible you could have used a skin care product that caused some type of minor irritation that results in white spots. If white spots last longer than a few days and are not the result of sun exposure, you should see your dermatologist. In rare cases, white spots can be a symptom of a nutrient deficiency. 

Could White Spots Be Caused by a Vitamin Deficiency?

Some dietary deficiencies may lead to the development of white spots on the skin. Although it is extremely rare to be deficient in key vitamins and nutrients in the U.S., it is still possible. Particularly, for people who have an underlying medical condition, are on a very restrictive diet, or have a lifestyle habit (like alcohol misuse) that prevents them from absorbing essential nutrients. 

Vitamin B-12

People who are deficient in B-12 may develop white spots on the skin. B-12 is essential for the creation of red blood cells and supports the nervous system. People at risk of B-12 deficiency are those who are on strict vegetarian and vegan diets because naturally occurring B12 is found in animal products. 

Vitamin C

Scurvy, the name ofvitamin C deficiency, is extremely rare in the United States. One skin manifestation of scurvy is the development of white spots on the skin. It’s unlikely that you have scurvy unless you have an extremely poor diet or have an underlying health condition like anorexia or alcohol misuse disorder. 

Vitamin D 

Vitamin D is essential for proper calcium absorption. Not having enough vitamin D may lead to weak bones and also cause white spots to appear on the skin. People at risk of vitamin D deficiency include breastfed infants, people with underlying medical conditions (like Crohn’s Disease or Celiac’s), weight loss surgery patients, and patients on certain medications.

Folate

A deficiency in folate can lead to white patches on the skin, but not usually white spots. Folate is a B vitamin essential for cell growth and DNA production. 

People at risk of folate deficiency include people with very limited diets and people who have underlying malabsorption issues, like people who have undergone weight loss surgery or people with inflammatory bowel disease.

While it is a possibility that white spots could be caused by a vitamin deficiency, it usually is not the case. Vitamin and nutrient deficiencies are almost unheard of in developed nations without knowing the underlying cause. Finding out if your spots are caused by a deficiency is as easy as having your doctor perform a simple blood test. 

Correcting a Vitamin Deficiency

Your healthcare provider can perform blood tests to measure your vitamin and nutrient levels. If you learn you are deficient in a specific vitamin or nutrient, correcting the deficiency might be as straightforward as tweaking your meals to include more nutrient-rich foods. 

If there is an underlying issue causing your deficiency, your doctor can help you learn your treatment options. Most healthy adults living in developed nations will not have to worry about nutrient deficiencies unless they have underlying medical conditions or lifestyle habits that prevent them from absorbing key nutrients. 

After all, when was the last time you heard of someone who had scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) or rickets (vitamin D deficiency)? Though these deficiencies are largely issues of the past, a newly discovered nutrient deficiency has been linked to numerous negative metabolic health issues and is thought to affect one in three people worldwide. 

Understanding what it is and how to correct it could be the key to preserving our longevity and healthspan. 

The Newly Discovered Nutrient Deficiency You Might Have

Many discoveries are made somewhat by chance, and you could say chance played a part in the discovery of pentadecanoic acid, or C15:0. Researchers studying longevity in bottlenose dolphins, discovered that populations of dolphins that had a higher circulating level of C15:0 had fewer occurrences of age-related illnesses than those populations with lower C15:0 levels. 

Building on this discovery, they carried their research further and discovered that the same geroprotective benefits that the dolphins experienced from higher C15:0 levels were also applicable to humans. They published their initial research in Nature Scientific Reports and continued furthering their studies. There are now over 100 peer-reviewed publications describing the health benefits of C15:0.

Here’s a breakdown of what they learned. 

What C15:0 Is

C15:0 is an odd-chain, saturated fatty acid that is present in trace levels in whole-fat dairy products and some plants and fish.It is also now recognized as essential. Essential nutrients are those that our bodies don’t make but are necessary to maintain physiological health. We have to get C15:0 from either our diets or through supplementation.

What C15:0 Does

C15:0 has cellular-protective benefits that reverse the aging process at the cellular level. C15:0 benefits cells and our bodies by:

• Strengthening cells by 80%. Keeping our cell membranes sturdy and resilient, ensuring cells can keep their shape and armor. 

• Improving mitochondrial function and increasing ATP levels within cells by 350%. More ATP production in the cell leads to improved cell function and better overall function in our tissues and organs. 

• Lowering ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol. In studies, higher levels of C15:0 were directly related to lower LDL cholesterol numbers. 

• Improving liver enzymes. C15:0 helps support liver function. Low levels of C15:0 are associated with higher rates of fatty liver disease or NAFLD.

• Improving the gut microbiome. The connection between the gut and the brain is well established. Keeping the gut microbiome healthy supports the gut-brain axis.

• Targeting 6 out of 12 of the hallmarks of aging (better than rapamycin). Aging begins and ends in our cells. According to researchers, 12 cellular events cause the aging process. 

Additionally, C15:0 has 36+ clinically relevant cellular benefits, surpassing those of even rapamycin and metformin. However, unlike these leading longevity molecules, C15:0 is essential to maintaining our health and wellness. Without enough C15:0 in our bodies, we are at risk of a deficiency. The discovery of a new nutritional deficiency is rare, which is one reason why understanding C15:0 is so important. 

Cellular Fragility Syndrome: The C15:0 Deficiency

The continued research surrounding C15:0 has led researchers to the discovery of an associated deficiency, known as Cellular Fragility Syndrome. As published in the scientific journal Metabolites, low levels of C15:0 are associated with fragile cells that accelerate aging and increase a person’s risk of developing chronic, metabolic, heart, and liver conditions. 

Further, Cellular Fragility Syndrome has been directly associated with ferroptosis, a type of cellular death that causes cells to die prematurely and is linked with accelerated aging, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and NAFLD. These conditions can significantly decrease a person’s longevity and health span. 

The natural question is: how much C15:0 do we need and how do we get it?

How Much C15:0 Do We Need?

Low C15:0 levels under 0.2% can cause weakened cell membranes and Cellular Fragility Syndrome, increasing the risk of poor metabolic, heart, and liver health. C15:0 levels between 0.2% and 0.4% are considered healthy and protect against Cellular Fragility Syndrome.

It’s worth pointing out that people who live in the Longevity Blue Zone of Sardinia (where residents consistently live to be older than 100) have average C15:0 levels of 0.64%. 

You can find out if you are deficient in C15:0 by having your healthcare provider obtain a fatty acid panel or by using this at-home testing kit. This kit requires a finger-prick blood sample that is analyzed by a lab and will tell you whether or not you are deficient. Additionally, you may see improvements in labs such as your complete blood panel, cholesterol panel, and liver enzymes. If you discover that your C15:0 levels are low, there’s a solution.

Fixing Cellular Fragility Syndrome

Although many dietary deficiencies can simply be addressed with dietary changes like eating more foods that contain the nutrients you need, fixing C15:0 deficiency through diet alone is not always sufficient. 

• First, C15:0 is found primarily in whole-fat dairy products like whole milk and full-fat butter. However, the amount of C15:0 in dairy fat is dependent on what animals are fed. Grass-fed animals produce milk that has more C15:0 compared to animals fed corn. So, even if you are drinking full-fat dairy products, you may not be getting adequate amounts of C15:0.
  
  
• Second, consuming large amounts of dairy products may not be the ideal way to get C15:0 into your diet. Milk fat contains only 1% C15:0, and has more than 40% pro-inflammatory fatty acids (such as C16:0 and C18:0). Higher levels of C16:0 and C18:0 have been repeatedly associated with poorer metabolic, heart, and liver health. This unfavorable ratio of bad-fats-to-good-fast is present in just about all foods that contain C15:0.

• Third, the C15:0 found in whole-fat dairy is attached to triglycerides which must be broken down in the gut before the body can use the C15:0. This extra step makes C15:0 absorption less efficient.
  
  
• Lastly, whole-fat dairy isn’t necessarily environmentally conscious, nor is it an option for vegans.

The solution? Fatty15. Fatty15 is the first and only supplement that contains the pure, vegan-friendly, sustainable, award-winning version of C15:0 known as FA15™. At just one calorie per dose, you get the bioavailable C15:0 your body needs without any excess calories, sugars, or cows. 

Spot on Nutrient Deficiency Solutions

White spots on your skin could be due to a nutrient deficiency, but they are more likely caused by something else. Deficiencies are rare, but C15:0 deficiency and Cellular Fragility Syndrome are increasingly being recognized as common. The good news is that it is easily tested for and prevented with daily fatty15 supplementation. 

See your dermatologist about white spots on your skin, and take your fatty15 to help strengthen your cells, and improve your long-term health and longevity.

Sources:

Idiopathic Guttate Hypomelanosis | AOCD

Which Vitamin Deficiency Causes White Spots On Skin? | AYU Health.com

Efficacy of dietary odd-chain saturated fatty acid pentadecanoic acid parallels broad associated health benefits in humans: could it be essential? | Scientific Reports

Effect of an Asian-adapted Mediterranean diet and pentadecanoic acid on fatty liver disease: the TANGO randomized controlled trial - ScienceDirect

Pentadecanoic Acid (C15:0), an Essential Fatty Acid, Shares Clinically Relevant Cell-Based Activities with Leading Longevity-Enhancing Compounds

Application - Discoverc15

The Brain-Gut Connection | Johns Hopkins Medicine

Hallmarks of aging: An expanding universe - PubMed

The Cellular Stability Hypothesis: Evidence of Ferroptosis and Accelerated Aging-Associated Diseases as Newly Identified Nutritional Pentadecanoic Acid (C15:0) Deficiency Syndrome

Ferroptosis and Senescence: A Systematic Review

Iron metabolism and ferroptosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus and complications: mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities | Cell Death & Disease

Ferroptosis mechanisms and regulations in cardiovascular diseases in the past, present, and future | Cell Biology and Toxicology

Iron metabolism and ferroptosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: what is our next step?