Vitamin A information, Benefits, Deficiency

Vitamin A Facts and Information

Vitamin A is fat soluble. Vitamin A is made up of three molecules, retinal, retinal and retinoic acid. Each of these is obtained from the plant precursor molecule, b- carotene. It requires fats as well as minerals to be properly absorbed by your digestive tract. Vitamin A can be stored in your body and need not be replenished every day. Vitamin A is responsible for production and maintenance of skin, hair and mucous membrane, functioning of bone, reproduction, and eyesight. It acts as an antioxidant, which in turn makes it an effective anti aging agent. It also assists your sense of taste as well as helping the digestive and urinary tract and many believe that it helps slow aging. Vitamin A is one of the most versatile vitamins, with roles in such diverse functions as vision, immune defenses, maintenance of body linings and skin, bone and body growth, normal cell development, and reproduction.

Vitamin A occurs in two forms:

Performed Vitamin A - It is called retinol found only in foods of animal origin.
Provitamin A - It is known as carotene, provided by foods of both plant and animal origin.

Vitamin A is measured in USP units ( United States Pharmacopea), IU ( INternation Units), and RE ( Retinol Equivalents). 10, 000 IU daily is the average adult dosage, though the need increases with greater body weight.

Vitamin A is manufactured in our body from substances called beta-carotenes, which are found in dark green, orange and yellow vegetables.

Vitamin A content of some foods is given below in the table

Benefits of Vitamin A

Vitamin A permits formation of visual purple in the eye. Counteract night blindness, weak eyesight and aid in the treatment of many eye disorders. It prevents a condition known as urolithiasis where urinary calculi in the form of calcium phosphate is present. Vitamin A also maintains the integrity of the epithelial tissues. Vitamin A is widely distributed in animal and plant foods- in animal foods as preformed vitamin A (retinol), and in plant foods as provitamins (carotenes).Vitamin A helps in building resistance to respiratory infections. It shorten the duration of diseases. Vitamin A also helps in bone growth. Did you know your bones are growing all the time? Bone molecules are constantly being moved in and out of your skeleton, as needed. In fact, every 7 years you get a new skeleton. Therefore, it is very important to keep your bones healthy.

Food Sources of Vitamin A

Vitamin A can be abundantly found in:

• Green Leafy Vegetables
• Melon
• Fish Liver Oils
• Tomatoes
• Yams
• Milk
• Egg
• Chicken
• Cheese
• Butter

What are the deficiency symptoms of vitamin A?

Your body reacts to a deficiency in vitamin A with brittle nails that grow slowly, and don't glow pink underneath. You also can be afflicted with night blindness, cloudy vision, ulcers of the cornea, and in extreme cases, blindness. Lack of vitamin A causes night blindness or inability to see in the dim light. The mother herself can detect this condition when her child cannot see in the late evenings or find her in a darkened room. Conjunctival xerosis is a clinical sign produced by the deficiency of vitamin A. When vitamin A is lacking the skin becomes thick and rough. An infection appears in various parts of the body. Probably the only way you would do this is through supplements, so be careful with those supplements. You don't need them anyway if you eat a ballanced diet of wholesome foods.