Vitamin Information Center

Vitamin A
•Found in animal foods and converted from beta-carotene in plant foods.
•Required for vision, gene expression, reproduction, embryonic development, red
blood cell production, and immune function.
•Prescription vitamin A derivatives are used to treat skin conditions (acne) and reti-
nitis pigmentosa (genetic eye disease).
•Defi ciency is rare in Canada, but common in developing countries due to malnutri-
tion. It causes night blindness, dry eyes and skin, and impaired growth.
•Drugs that deplete vitamin A: cholestyramine, colestipol, mineral oil, and neomycin.
•Supplements should be avoided by those at risk of lung cancer (smokers) or liver
toxicity (alcoholics, liver disease).
•Doses greater than 10,000 IU daily should be avoided by pregnant women due to the
risk of birth defects. Most prenatal vitamins provide 5,000 IU.
•Doses greater than 5,000 IU may increase risk of osteoporosis.
•Supplements of vitamin A beyond what is provided in a multivitamin are not rec-
ommended due to risk of toxicity. To avoid this risk, choose a multivitamin that
contains beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the liver, but is not as-
sociated with health risks.

Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is essential to the formation of visual purple in the retina, which allows vision in dim light. It helps your eyes adjust to light changes when you come in from outside and also helps keep your eyes, skin and mucous membranes moist. Vitamin A mostly comes from animal foods, but some plant-based foods supply beta-carotene, which your body then converts into Vitamin A.

Vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness, eye inflammation, diarrhea and other problems. Over consumption of vitamin A can cause nausea, irritability and blurred vision in its mild form. Vitamin A toxicity can cause growth retardation, hair loss and enlarged spleen and liver in its more severe form. Vitamin A overdose can also cause birth defects and has been linked to increased risk of bone fractures in some people. Like other vitamins, vitamin A does not replace food and in fact, it cannot be assimilated without food.

Benefits of vitamin A to us:-

1. Vitamin A improves our vision and prevents night blindness.

2. This vitamin promotes formation of strong bones.

3. Vitamin A supplements may help kids who have respiratory problem.

4. Act as anti-oxidant, helping to protect our cells against cancer and other disease.

5. It can improve skin condition like acne or psoriasis.

6. Vitamin A guards us against bacterial, viral, parasitic infections.

Deficiency Symptoms of vitamin A

1. Bitots spot, 2. Night blindness, 3. Conjunctival xerosis, 4. Corneal xerosis,

5. Keratomalacia.

Sources of vitamin A

1. Spinach and collard greens 2. Egg yolk 3. Fortified milk

4. Sweet potato and Broccoli 5. Pumpkin and carrots

6. Cheddar cheese

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, like vitamin D, that the body needs in order to ensure that a variety of bodily functions are carried out optimally. The true form of vitamin A is only found in animal products; however, some fruits and vegetables contain carotenoids, a compound that can be converted to vitamin A once it is in the body. This means that if you are a vegetarian, it is still fully possible for you to meet your vitamin A requirements without having to rely on supplements. Now that we’ve given you a little background information, let’s get into the nuts and bolts of vitamin A 101.
Health benefits
Vitamin A is primarily known for its role in night vision. The retina contains four photopigments that store vitamin A compounds, and the rhodospin pigment (located in the rod cells of the retina) allow the rod cells to detect small traces of light.

When an individual has been deficient in vitamin A for an extended period of time, their rhodopsin production will be impaired and they may develop night blindness.

Vitamin A also plays an important role in the strength of your immune system and, thus, in your overall health. Vitamin A helps promote thymus gland growth, as well as increase the functioning ability of the white blood cells, which are responsible for producing antibodies that protect you against viruses.

Additionally, the body needs retinoic acid in order to effectively provide for the structure and function of the epithelial cells, the immune system’s defensive line, that are located in the lungs, trachea, skin, gastrointestinal tract, and oral cavity.

Vitamin A also helps the metabolism of normal bones, and thereby serves to prevent osteoporosis or stress fractures.

Finally, the body requires vitamin A for normal cell growth to occur.
What foods contain vitamin A?
The foods that are the richest sources of either vitamin A or carotenoids include:
Carrots
Spinach
Turnip greens
Kale
Parsley
Bell Peppers
Mustard greens
Romaine lettuce
Calf’s liver
Swish chard
Sweet potato
Chicken liver
Beef
Eggs
milk products
Recommended intakes for vitamin A
If getting your vitamin A through food proves to be difficult, you can take vitamin A in supplemental form, which is available as retinol or retinyl-palmitate. The Recommended Dietary Allowance of vitamin A is set at 3,000 international units (IU), or 900 mcg of retinal equivalents, for males aged 14 and older.

A very low-fat diet could cause a vitamin A deficiency since fat is needed to ensure proper absorption. Also, those who suffer from pancreatic enzyme deficiency, Crohn’s disease, celiac sprue, cystic fibrosis, gall bladder disease, or liver disease could also be at risk for deficiency due the ineffective absorption of vitamin A.

It should be noted that there are some nutrients that can interact with the vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is dependent upon several other binding proteins in order to be effectively used by the cells, therefore, a sufficient protein intake is required in order to form these binding proteins. Additionally, zinc helps the body to absorb and use the vitamin A that is taken in through the diet, so this is another nutrient that is essential for the body.

It’s important to note that vitamin A will interfere with the body’s absorption ability of vitamin K; you must balance out the two nutrients without getting too much of either one.

Aside from nutrient interactions with vitamin A, there are also some medications that can interact with this vitamin as well. Those who are taking any type of cholesterol-lowering medications may find that they have increased levels of vitamin A in their blood and are, therefore, required to ingest less through the diet.

Those who are taking bile acid sequestrants (also used to lower cholesterol) on the other hand, might find that they interfere with the absorption of vitamin A altogether. It is, therefore, very important to discuss with your doctor exactly what type of medication you are on and what corresponding action needs to be taken to ensure that it is not going to affect the status of vitamin A in the body.

Individuals who are taking Neomycin, which is an antibacterial drug, may also suffer from a decrease in the body’s ability to absorb vitamin A. If you are watching your vitamin A intake, you should be aware of this issue and speak to your doctor about it idea.

Finally, if you are taking Rin-A, Vitinoin or Vesanoid (often used to treat acne or skin cancer and have a very similar structure to that of vitamin A), you will need to ensure that you are not taking a large dosage of vitamin A through supplemental form (over 10,000 IU per day) in order to prevent symptoms of toxicity.
vit-a-vision
As you can see, vitamin A is essential to the quality of you night vision, something that every Predator or Alien combatant needs. Whether you an interplanetary warrior or just a guy looking for a bra strap in the dark, you’re body requires this basic and easy to consume vitamin. You do, however, need to be sure that you’re well-informed about your intake of this important vitamin and about all the interactions that could be at play.

Resources:
www.whfoods.com

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