10 Healthy Benefits for Vitamin C Ascorbic Acid

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble compound that have two forms retinol ( beta carotene ) and retinyl ester. It is kept as retinyl esters in your liver to be used later, and it has a good benefit in improving your vision and immunity as it increases the ability to see in the dark and increases production and activity of white blood cells. It helps in male and female reproduction.
Carrots are considered one of the most important food sources that have high amount of vitamin A.

Vitamin A Benefits, Sources, Toxicity and Deficiency

Benefits of Vitamin A

Vitamin a has a great benefit in improving your health with other vitamins

• Assisting in cell growth as vitamin A helps in the formation of heart, lungs and liver cells.

• Improves your eyes vision to see in the dark and help in eye protection. It protects the cornea, the eye's outermost layer.

• Vitamin A has an antioxidant effect as it stop free radicals, so helps in preventing toxins deposition.

• Vitamin A has an important role in preventing cancer risks such as:

1. Lung cancer as it found that people with higher carotenoid ( provitamin A ) intake have low risk of lung cancer.
2. Prostate cancer in which lycopene ( another type of carotenoids ) has a great effect in preventing prostate cancer.

• Vitamin A promotes immunity as it pays an important role in increasing white blood cells such as B cells and T cells.

• It is serving in improving men and women fertility as it helps in increasing sperms production and activity in men, and it also helps in stimulation of egg development in females.

• Maintain pregnant woman health and help in formation of the teeth and bones of the baby body.

What are Vitamin A rich Foods?

There are many food sources that contain vitamin A

• Carrots are highly rich with vitamin A
• Many vegetables you should eat such as spinach, broccoli, sweet potato, zucchini, tomatoes and kale, in fact it is found in most green plant
• Many fruits include cantaloupe, orange and mango
• Eggs
• Fish oils
• In milk and dairy products including cheese and yogurt
• Meat and liver ( in animal beef and poultry )
• Sweet red peppers
• Pumpkin

Vitamin A Sources

Vitamin A Daily Intake

The Recommended Dietary Allowance from preformed vitamin A for adult men is 900 mcg RAE (equivalent to 3,000 IU) and for adult women is 700 mcg RAE (equivalent to 2,333 IU).

Too Much Vitamin A ( Toxicity )

Isotretinoin medication may cause vitamin A toxicity, they are classified into acute or chronic.

• Acute Vitamin A Toxicity

It may cause pressure in the cranial, liver disease or lead to death.

• Chronic Vitamin A Toxicity

1. Nausea and vomiting
2. Bone pain
3. Poor vision
4. Liver damage
5. Highly sensitive to light such as sunlight
6. Impairment growth
7. Decreased appetite
8. Dry skin
9. Losing hair
10. Psoriasis
11. Increased cholesterol level

Due to its toxicity, many multivitamin manufactures Decreased the amount of vitamin A in their whole products.

Vitamin A Deficiency

Symptoms

• Skin dryness
• Eye dryness
• Dark blindness
• Frequent throat and chest infections
• Decreased wound healing
• Increased acne
• Slowing fetus development and growth