Refers to Vitamin A or vitamin A a group of fat-soluble compounds very important for humans. It is recommended that men get 900 micrograms, women 700 micrograms, and children and teens 300-600 micrograms daily of this important vitamin.
Vitamin A is a key micronutrient needed for many body functions like keeping the eyes healthy, supporting normal organ functions, boosting the immune system, and helping proper growth of fetuses.
Vitamin A compounds are found in both animal and plant foods, and they come in two different forms:
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Preformed vitamin A: This is the active form of vitamin A that the body can use directly. It's found in animal products like meat, chicken, fish, and dairy. It includes retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid compounds.
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Provitamin A carotenoids: This is the inactive form of vitamin A found in plant products. The body doesn't use it directly but converts it into the active form before use. It includes alpha carotene, beta carotene, and beta cryptoxanthin compounds.
In this article, we'll look at 6 important health benefits of vitamin A.
6 important health benefits of vitamin A
1. Protecting the eyes from night blindness
Vitamin A is essential for keeping the eyes healthy. It's needed to convert light that hits the eyes into an electrical signal sent to the brain.
In fact, one of the first symptoms of vitamin A deficiency can be night blindness, also called Nyctalopia. This can happen in people lacking vitamin A because it's a key part of rhodopsin pigment in the retina, which is very sensitive to light.
People with night blindness can still see normally during the day, but they have trouble seeing in the dark because their eyes struggle to pick up light at low levels.
Besides night blindness, getting enough beta carotene might help slow down vision loss some people get with age. The most common case is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), thought to happen due to oxidative stress.
Studies found that giving people over 50 with some vision loss antioxidant supplements including beta carotene cuts their risk of AMD by 25%.
2. It lowers the risk of some types of cancer
Cancer happens when cells start growing and dividing uncontrollably. Studies link higher vitamin A intake as beta carotene with lower chances of certain cancers like lymphoma, cervical cancer, lung cancer, and bladder cancer.
Also, studies show that getting vitamin A especially from plants links to lower cancer risk. Vitamin A from plants helps healthy cell division and may lower risks of some cancers.
3. Supports a healthy immune system
Vitamin A plays a key role in keeping the body's natural defenses strong, including mucus barriers in eyes, lungs, gut, and genital organs, which help trap bacteria and other infectious stuff.
Also, vitamin A helps in making and working of white blood cells, which catch and remove bacteria and other germs from the bloodstream. This means lack of vitamin A can make the body more likely to get infections and slow down healing when sick.
In fact, in countries where infections like measles and malaria are common, fixing vitamin A deficiency there has been shown to lower death risks from these diseases.
4. It lowers the risk of getting acne
Acne is a long-term inflammatory skin problem. People with it get painful spots and blackheads mostly on the face, back, and chest. These spots happen because skin oil glands get clogged with dead skin and oils.
Even though these spots aren't physically harmful, acne can seriously affect mental health. It can cause low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.
Vitamin A might help treat acne. Lack of it can raise the chance of acne because it causes too much keratin protein in hair follicles. This makes dead skin harder to remove, clogging follicles and leading to acne.
Also, some acne medicines have vitamin A and you can get them with a prescription. You can ask your doctor for advice.
5. Supports bone health
Key nutrients needed to maintain bone health as you get older are protein andcalcium andvitamin DStill, getting enough vitamin A is key for proper bone growth and development, and lacking it has been linked to poor bone health.
People with low blood vitamin A levels actually have a higher risk of bone fractures compared to those with healthy levels.
Also, other studies found that people with the highest vitamin A in their diet had a 6% lower risk of fractures.
However, low vitamin A might not be the only issue for bone health. Studies show that people who take in too much vitamin A are also more likely to get fractures. So, it’s important to get just the right amount.
6. Supports healthy growth and reproduction
Vitamin A is essential for keeping the reproductive systems of both men and women healthy and for normal fetal growth and development during pregnancy.
Research shows that vitamin A deficiency can stop sperm cells from growing, causing infertility. It can also lower egg quality and how well eggs implant in the uterus.
Plus, vitamin A helps with the growth and development of many key fetal organs and structures in the womb, like the skeleton, nervous system, heart, kidneys, eyes, lungs, and pancreas.
Still, even though it's way less common than vitamin A deficiency, taking too much vitamin A during pregnancy can harm the growing baby and cause birth defects.
Because of this, many health authorities advise women to avoid foods with high amounts of vitamin A, like pate and beef liver, and also vitamin A supplements during pregnancy.
In the end, the best way to get a healthy balance of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, is to eat a variety of whole foods as part of a balanced diet.
