Description and Possible Medical Problems
Everyone has experienced dry, cracked lips at one time or another, usually during the dryness of winter or the heat of summer. They may feel chapped, raw, and painful.
Sometimes, however, cracked lips may be caused by a vitamin B deficiency. You’ll be able to tell if this is the case if your lips do not heal despite the use of medicated lip balms, ointments, and other salves.
Treatment
When your cracked lips are due to a vitamin B deficiency, increasing your intake of foods rich in vitamin B—whole grains, dairy products, poultry, and fish—should help soothe them. A B-complex supplement that contains 100% of all of the B vitamins will also help heal them. Check the chart below for a complete list of foods containing the family of B vitamins.
B vitamin Foods rich in this B vitamin
Vitamin Bl Whole grains, legumes, enriched flour, meat (thiamine) (especially pork), brewer’s yeast
Vitamin B2 Milk, eggs, grains, lean animal protein, fish, (riboflavin) poultry, dark green vegetables (such as broccoli, spinach, and asparagus)
Vitamin B6 Beef, pork, veal, poultry, fish, nuts, bananas, bran, (pyrodoxine) yeast, lima beans, soybeans
Vitamin B12 Foods of animal origin—the highest levels are (cobalamin) found in organ meats such as liver, while lesser amounts are found in fish (especially sardines, salmon, tuna, and shellfish), egg yolks, and dairy products.
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