Information Page
General Information
Vitamin A, as discussed at Wikipedia is also called retinal, and beta-carotene. Beta-carotene comes from plant sources, and retinal comes from animal sources. Vitamin A is important for a proper eye sight and maintaining healthy skin. Retinal helps to produce pigments in the eyes’ retina. Retinal found is animal source are direct form of Vitamin A, which is directly used by the body. The plant source of vitamin A are called beta-carotene. The beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the human liver.
Food Sources
Vitamin A is abundantly available in both animal and plant based foods.
a. Animal Sources
Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin. The animal form of vitamin A is available in a readily absorbable format. Eggs, liver of beef, pork, chicken, turkey are good source of retinal. Dairy products like whole milk, cheese, cream are good source of vitamin A as well. But all the animal based sources of retinal also have high cholesterol and saturated fat.
b. Plant Sources
All bright colored fruits and vegetables are rich sources of beta-carotene. The dark colored pigments of plants are carotenoid. The liver of human body converts the beta-carotene into vitamin A. The plant based foods are free of cholesterol and fat, and are therefore a valuable source of vitamin A for the health conscience. Vegetables like carrots, pumpkin, and winter squash are very high in vitamin A. Pink grapes, papaya, mango and cantaloupe have high contents of beta-carotene too. Leafy vegetables like broccoli, spinach are also high in beta-carotene.
Benefits and Therapeutic Effects
Vitamin A is essential for proper eye sight. The retinal is responsible for the production of pigment in the retina of the eyes. They help vision under low light conditions and color vision. Retinal is useful in improving eye defects such as glaucoma, cataracts in eyes.
Vitamin A also plays an important role in improving body immunity.
Your healthy skin requires adequate amount of vitamin A. This vitamin is used to treat skin problems like rashes, eczema, psoriasis and acne. It also protects the skin from sunburns, aging and wrinkles. These properties make vitamin A one of the key ingredients in skin creams and lotions.
Vitamin A is also an antioxidant. Antioxidants protect the body from damages caused by free radicals.
Natural sources of carotenoid help to prevent cancer. As they help in repair and growth of cells.
Vitamin A also protects the lining of urinal, digestive and respiratory organs.
Signs of Deficiency
The most common deficiency of vitamin A is poor eye sight. Retinal deficiency lead to color vision impairments and poor sight in darkness.
Vitamin A deficiency can lead to dry skin, broken hair and finger nails.
Poor immunity and skin allergies are also clear indications of this deficiency.
Dosages
Vitamin A like retinal should be consumed in limited quantities. High dosage of vitamin A may cause severe side effects. Infants below one year should be given not more than 400 micrograms per day. Children under 14 years of age can take an average of 500 mcg/day. Female above age of 14 can consume up to 700 mcg/day and male can take about 900 mcg/day. Please follow the manufacturers recommended dosages.
Side Effects and/or Toxicity
Fat soluble vitamins tend to stay in your body longer than the water soluble vitamins do. Consuming vitamin A more than the recommended levels can create some side effects. Intake of more than 25000 mcg/ day of retinal leads to chronic vitamin A poisoning. Children and infants are more sensitive to high dosages of this retinal. Vitamin A increase can cause birth defects.
Though overdoses of beta-carotene may not cause sickness, it may still make the skin yellow or orange. Always follow the manufactures recommended dosages when consuming vitamin A in pill form.
Conclusion
In short, vitamin A, beta carotene, or retinal, ect are essential nutrients for a healthy body. Vitamin A should be taken in recommended quantities to reap the benefits.