What is Vitamin A?
Vitamin A is an oil-soluble vitamin. It is stored in the liver. There are two types of vitamin A. One is from animal sources, the other is from vegetables. Animal sources of vitamin A are up to six times as strong as vegetable sources. It’s sourced by some food for vitamin A. There is a class of compounds called the carotenoids. The best-known subclass of the carotenoids is the caro-tenes. Beta-carotene is the most widely known. When food and supplements containing beta-carotene are consumed, the beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A in the liver. According to recent reports, beta-carotene appears to aid in cancer prevention by scavenging, or neutralizing, free radicals.Benefits
- Vitamin A prevents night blindness and other eye problems. It is needed for the maintenance and repair of epithelial tissue.
- It enhances immunity, helps to heal gastrointestinal ulcers.
- It is important in the formation of bones, and teeth, aids in fat storage.
- It protects against colds, flu and infections of the kidneys, bladder.
- It acts as an antioxidant, helping to grow new cells and protect the cells against disease and cancer.
- It guards against heart disease and stroke, and lowers cholesterol levels.
- The body can utilize the protein with vitamin A.
- People receiving radiation treatment have benefited from taking vitamin A.
Food for Vitamin A
- Animal livers
- Fish liver oils
- Green and yellow fruits and vegetables: apricots, asparagus, beet greens, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, collards, dandelion greens, fish liver oil, garlic, kale, papayas, peaches, pumpkin, red peppers, spinach, spirulina, sweet potatoes, and etc.
Side effect of deficiency
- It causes dry hair and skin, dryness of the conjunctiva and cornea, poor growth and night blindness.
- It occurs insomnia, fatigue, reproductive difficulties, sinusitis, pneumonia and frequent colds and other respiratory infections.
- It causes skin disorders and weight loss.
Caution
- Taking large amounts of vitamin A, more than 100,000 international units daily can be toxic to the body, mainly to the liver.