Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in many foods that you eat. It is also known as the “beauty vitamin”.
There Are Two Basic Types
- Preformed vitamin A is present in meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products.
- Provitamin A present in fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based products
Sources of Vitamin A
It is present in all green leafy vegetables, especially coriander and amaranth leaves, and also in carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkins, apricots, papayas, mangoes, avocados (butter fruit), melons, and nearly all yellow fruits.
Carotene is quickly absorbed by the body and then stored in the liver where it is changed into vitamin A for use whenever it may be needed.
Any diet containing an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables will be rich in Vitamin A.
Recommended for you:
- For good and clear vision, it keeps our eyes bright and helps us to see in dim light. Without it, our vision would soon be impaired.
- It brings out the beauty in you. It helps to keep the skin smooth and soft.
- Proper functioning of your immune system.
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- For reproduction and the development of children.
- It is also needed for the mucous membranes lining the nose, throat, and bronchial tubes, as well as the entire digestive tract, the bladder, kidneys, and pelvic organs.
- It helps in aiding the normal growth of bones and teeth, particularly in children and young people.
Risk of Taking Excess Vitamin A
Too much of everything is bad. A condition known as Hypervitaminosis A is caused by consuming too much-concentrated vitamin A either through your diet or supplements containing it.
Health issues associated with excess vitamin A intake includes:
- Thin eyebrows, brittle hair, and rough skin especially in children.
- Other symptoms include nausea, headaches, dizziness, pain and if care is not taken it can lead to death.
One sure way of taking an adequate amount of vitamin A is by simply ensuring that you have green and yellow vegetables and fruits every day included in your diet.
In that case, you need not worry about getting too much or too little vitamin A.
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Side Effect and Deficiency
- The chief cause of childhood blindness, the eyes appear dull and lusterless.
- lack of it makes the skin thick and rough.
- Its deficiency increases the risk of death from common childhood infections such as diarrhea and measles.
- Infections arise in various parts of the body.
- Kidney and bladder stones are more common in people whose diets are deficient in vitamin A. This vitamin helps to fight infectious diseases.