Vitamin A benefits for health | What is vitamin A good for
Vitamin A may be a fat-soluble nutrient that needs fat to be absorbed. Therefore, fats also are essential for your health and wellbeing.
Likewise, vitamin D, E, K are other fat-soluble vitamins that require fat to serve you better health and fitness.
Mainly vitamin A is stored within the liver cells and parenchymal tissues. Further, vitamin A benefits your skin, bones, and healthy vision.
Vitamin A has two sources. Or we will say there are two sorts of vitamin A:
1) Preformed vitamin A (also called retinoids) comes from animal products like dairy products, fish, poultry, meat. This groups of vitamin A sources also include retinol. Retinol is an antioxidant used for better skin health.
2) Provitamin A (also referred to as carotenoids) has plants as its sources like leafy green veggies or other plant-based products. This type of vitamin A group includes beta carotene. Beta carotene may be a yellow, orange-like pigment further converted to vitamin A.
What are vitamin A benefits
Diminished Acne
Vitamin A is an antioxidant that forestalls free radicals damage the cells.
These free radicals are liable for oxidation stress that causes inflammation and signs of aging.
Vitamin A is an antioxidant that will help skin development and fight acne and inflammation.
Prevents Night Blindness
We have a protein in our eyes called rhodopsin that helps us see within the dark.
Vitamin A, being a component of this protein, improves our vision.
Moreover, a balanced intake of this vitamin reduces the danger of other eye diseases like xeropthalmia, cataracts, AMD(age-related muscular degeneration).
Strengthens Immune System
Vitamin A helps our organs repair and regulate their function to guard our body against pathogenic invasion.
Retinoid assists in the regulation of cell functions of the system.
It improves your responses to the incursion of pathogens/ bacteria within the body.
Further, this component activates the killing cells that prevent infections and diseases.
Thus, in this manner, vitamin A presence can promote and regulate adaptive immunity, enhancing the defense against several infectious diseases.
Improves Eye-Sight
Vitamin A protects our cornea and contributes to healthy eyesight.
The antioxidant also reduces the probabilities of Age-related Muscle Degeneration.
Moreover, its regular intake with other supplements can stow down vision problems caused by retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt’s disease.
Besides, this vitamin can even treat superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis.
The deficiency of this vitamin results in the dry cornea, which will cause corneal ulcers or vision problems.
Plus, the shortage of vitamin A can increase the probability of retina damage and will cause complete blindness.
Promotes Growth and Reproduction
Vitamin A is useful for reproduction for males and females(vitamin A for growth and reproduction).
It nurtures the male genital tract and initializes the process of cell division for embryos.
Retinol plays a vital role in the functioning of retinoic acid receptors vital for early embryo development.
Moreover, vitamin A for metabolites is deemed good in ways for initial embryonic development.
Enhances Bones Health
Vitamin A(retinal) benefits fitness with the formation and regulation of bone health.
Retinoic acid derived from vitamin A stimulates osteoclasts and suppresses osteoblasts.
Osteoclasts break the bone surface to release calcium, while osteoblasts react with calcium to make a cement-like structure to strengthen bones.
However, both reactions are equally essential to stimulate bone health.
Therefore, intake of vitamin A within the correct quantity plays a crucial role in your overall health.
Helps Heal Wounds
This vitamin plays a requisite role in almost all stages of wound healing(vitamin A for wound healing).
Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that averts oxygen attacks accountable for cell damage.
Further, it limits glucocorticoids that slow wound healing.
Vitamin A promotes epithelial growth, fibroblast, granulation tissue, angiogenesis, collagen synthesis, epithelialization, and fibroplasia.
Besides, it contributes to protein synthesis that benefits skin surface repair/healing.
However, intake of this vitamin, surpassing the quantity, can make the situation worst.
Food sources of vitamin A
- Green Leafy Vegetables
- Tomato
- Milk
- Cantaloup
- Mangoes
- Eggs
- Pumpkins
- Sweet potato
- Dairy products
- Orange or yellow fruits and vegetables
Can we take vitamin A every day?
Intake of food and supplements can be the best way to prevent or decrease the deficiency of vitamin A.
We can take vitamin A supplements from 5,000 units up to 10,000 units(3000mcg) to fulfill daily requirements.
Intake of this vitamin greater than 10,000 units(IU) may have a pernicious impact on your health.
A recommended amount of vitamin A daily is:
- Men – 900mcg
- Women – 700mcg
- Children(or adolescent) – 300-600mcg
However, you must consult a doctor about your health and fitness status to receive a prescribed measure to help you to be fit.
Vitamin A deficiency
Since vitamins and minerals are required in small quantities, so, we should include supplements only when we lack any of the nutrients.
The excess amount of these vitamins are as bad as their deficiency. Vitamin A deficiency can lead to the following health conditions:
- Itchy and inflamed skin
- Night blindness
- Impeded growth indications
- Acne breakouts
- Slowed healing wounds
- Struggles conceiving
- Throat problems
- Respiratory tract infections
Vitamin A for your face and skin
Vitamin A in either low or excess amounts may severely affect your skin health. That is why you ought to keep measures to make sure the advantages only.
Retinol is a milder derivation of vitamin A that can treat acne problems. Besides, vitamin A present in skincare products refers to retinol, the lighter part of vitamin A.
However, using vitamin A solely to obviate acne can have adverse effects and is not recommended. Still, it can be one of vitamin A benefits but not the sole purpose of its intake.
Hence, vitamin A in the right amount can be a blessing for your skin and face in many ways:
- Vitamin A normalizes your skin. It balances your skin’s oiliness and dryness to help you get normal-looking skin.
- As an antioxidant, it keeps your skin and face look radiant and prevents signs of aging and oxidative stress.
- It can reduce acne breakouts to a very great extent. Vitamin A helps get a balanced skin that ensures a reduction in acne breakouts.
What is vitamin A toxicity?
Preformed vitamin A can be toxic for our system if we increase their intake from usual.
Vitamin A in excess amount may lead to vomiting, nausea, headache, frequent fractures, or osteoporosis.
It is a fat-soluble vitamin that deposit in our system and can be harmful when exceeds the required amount.
Vitamin A in excess has adverse effects on our bone’s health and can lead to osteoporosis or fractures.
Therefore, we should balance its proportion to exclude its toxicity from the system.