Vitamin A - Benefits, Deficiency Symptoms And Food Sources

Vitamin A is a group of compounds that play an important role in vision, bone growth, reproduction, cell division, and cell differentiation. Vitamin A also helps to regulate the immune system and helps prevent or fight off infections by making white blood cells that destroy harmful bacteria and viruses. Retinol (an alcohol) and retinal (an aldehyde) are often referred to as preformed vitamin A. Retinal can be converted by the body to retinoic acid and the form of vitamin A known to affect gene transcription. Retinol, retinal, retinoic acid, and related compounds are known as retinoids.

Functions and benefits of Vitamin A

Vitamin A has a number of important functions and benefits. For example it:

• Vitamin A helps form and maintain healthy teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucous membranes, and skin.
• Acne, Psoriasis, and other Skin disorders
• Night blindness and many eye diseases
• Helps strengthen immunity from infections
• Osteoporosis

Recommended Dosage for Vitamin A

• The usual dose of vitamin A is 5,000 IU (or 3 mg beta carotene) daily for men.
• The usual dose of vitamin A is 4,000 IU (or 2.4 mg beta carotene) daily for women.

Food sources of Vitamin A

Sources of Vitamin A including eggs, meat, milk, cheese, cream, liver, Pumpkin, Cantaloupe, Broccoli and halibut fish oil.

Deficiency Symptoms of Vitamin A

• Night Blindness
• Corneal inflammation
• Rough skin
• Acne
• Dry hair
• Fatigue
• Dry skin
• Weight loss