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Vitamin A is one of the most important vitamins required for the body. It serves a number of different purposes. The different Vitamin A sources are from animals and plants. Vitamin A is a group of compounds that are important for vision, bone growth, reproduction, cell division, and cell differentiation. It also helps to regulate the immune system, and may help lymphocytes to fight infections more effectively. Vitamin A promotes healthy surface lining of the eyes and the respiratory, urinary, and intestinal tracts, when those linings break down, it is easier for bacteria to enter the body and cause infection. Vitamin A is also responsible for helping the skin and mucus membranes to function as a barrier against bacteria and viruses. As we mentioned before there are two categories of vitamin A, depending on whether it is from an animal or plant source. Vitamin A that is from foods that come from animals is called preformed vitamin A. It is absorbed in the form of retinol, one of the most usable forms of vitamin A. Food sources includes liver, whole milk, and some fortified food products. Vitamin A that is found in fruits and vegetables is called pro vitamin. A carotenoid, and can be made into retinol in the body. Common pro vitamin A carotenoids include beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin. Beta-carotene is most efficiently converted into retinol. Retinol is found in foods that come from animals such as whole eggs, milk, and liver. Fat-free or skim milk is usually fortified with vitamin A to replace what is lost when the fat is removed. Darkly colored fruits and vegetables contain the pro vitamin. A Carotenoids Common ones are carrots, rockmelons, sweet potatoes, and spinach. A deficiency in vitamin A can lead to increased susceptibility for infectious diseases and vision problems. However, it is possible to get too much vitamin A. This is because vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin and thus stored in the body. Too much vitamin A can cause illness and even birth defects. Too much beta-carotene can turn skin yellow or orange. This is fixed when the intake of beta-carotene is reduced. A telltale sign of vitamin A deficiency is hyperkeratosis, a goose bump-like appearance of the skin that is caused by excessive production of keratin. A prolonged deficiency can lead to night blindness, and exophthalmia. Symptoms of taking too much vitamin A at one time include loss of appetite, irritability, fatigue, weakness, and vomiting. This is usually temporary. In adults, vitamin A toxicity may cause dry and itchy skin, dry, brittle nails, hair loss, headaches, visual changes, bone and muscle pain, irritability, depression, liver damage, and/or anemia. These usually begin to disappear when the intake of vitamin A is reduced. In order to combat this lack of vitamin take people could consider consuming vitamin supplements. These Health supplements will help combat all the deficiencies one may get if their Vitamin A intake is low. As you may have gathered from before Vitamin A is a very important source of nutrition and is incredibly important to each person.
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