Vitamin a benefits

Vitamin A 

    Vitamin A is also known as retinol because they contain retinol and retinyl ester. It is belonging to fat soluble which means those vitamins that are soluble in fat. There are four fat-soluble vitamins namely, A, D, E and K.

    It is considered to be the most active vitamin of all. It is essential for body growth and development of the human body.

   The daily supply of vitamin A recommended is for adolescents 300-600mcg, for women 700 mcg and for men, it is 900 mcg.

Sources:

    The main sources of vitamins are both plant and animal diets. It comes in two different forms,  but the functions are the same.

1. Performed Vitamin A:

    It is also known as an active form of vitamin including retinol and retinyl ester, which is obtained from animal source and the body just have to use it. The main sources of this are meat, dairy, chicken, fish etc

2. Provitamin carotenoid A:

    It is an inactive form of vitamin and is obtained from plant sources. When they absorb by the body, they are converted first into active form and then utilized by the body. 

   To illustrate, In the small intestine beta carotenoid is converted into retinol which is the active form of the vitamin. The major form of provitamin A in our diet are alpha-carotene and beta-carotene.

The recommended amount of intake:

    RDI is the amount which is required for assessing and planning the intake of nutrients in healthy people. There are used different terms used to show recommended levels like RDA (Recommended dietary allowance), and AI (Adequate intake).

  Its amount is measured in international units and mcg.  The recommended dietary allowance of Vitamin A for men and women is as follows:

 

Category	RDA (mcg) for Women	RDA (mcg) for men
7-12 month	500 mcg	500 mcg
1-3 year	300 mcg	300 mcg
4-8 year	400 mcg	400 mcg
9-13 year	600 mcg	600 mcg
14-18 year	900 mcg	900 mcg
19-50 year	900 mcg	700 mcg

Health benefits of Vitamin A:

    The proper intake of vitamin A in your body can help in many ways. It is one of the most important vitamins that the body needs for proper functioning and structuring. At the same time, it also prevents the body from irregularities. The major benefits that vitamins have in your body are described below:

1. Lower the risk of Cancer:

    Cancer occurs when the body produces uncontrolled abnormal cells. So, vitamin A help in producing the right amount of growth and development of healthy cells in the body and influence the risk of cancer.

    The preformed vitamin is not active in reducing cancer cells as provitamin which is obtained from plant cells.

    It is studied that regular intake of carotenoids will reduce the chances of prostate, lung and other cancer.

    Certain vitamin supplements are effective in reducing cancer from the body.

2. Prevents night blindness:

  It is one of the main functions or benefits of vitamin A in the body. It covert the light that hit on the eye converts it into a signal and sent to the brain.

  The first symptom of vitamin A deficiency is night blindness. As this vitamin is a major part of rhodopsin which is found in the retina and is most sensitive to light.

 Those who suffer from night blindness can see normally during day time and reduce their vision at night because their eyes reduce their ability to pick up light at a lower rate.

 One of the leading causes of blindness in developed countries is age-related macular degeneration (AMD). So, it is recommended to take proper intake of beta carotene helps to reduce the risk of this disease.

3. Boost health growth and reproduction:

    Vitamin A is responsible for the healthy growth of both men and women.

    During pregnancy, it ensures the right amount of normal growth of the embryo. It also helps information and growth of an unborn child and major organs such as kidneys, skeletal system eyes, lungs and nervous system.

    At the same time if there is a shortage of vitamin A in the mother so it may be harmful to the baby and sometimes lead to birth defects.

   So, it is recommended to take proper daily intake of vitamin A in your body to help promote the reproductive system and prevents many defects.

4. Improve Bone health:

    The main elements that support the health of bones are vitamin D, calcium and protein. However, it is also important to take enough vitamin A in your body to help strengthen bones. And deficiency of vitamin A will lead to poor bone health (fractures). So, this is confirmed that there is a relationship between bone health and vitamin A.

5. May Support the immune system:

    Vitamin A plays an important role in the defence mechanism of the body. It helps produce the white blood cells in your body, which clear and capture bacteria from the bloodstream.

    It produces a mucous barrier in the eyes gut and lungs which trap bacteria from the body. So, the deficiency of vitamin A increases the chances of infections.

6. Reduce acne risk:

  It is a chronic and painful disorder of the skin and people with this disorder develop spots on the skin, chest and back of the body. Although spots are harmless, acne causes major effects on health such as anxiety, and depression.

  It is said that deficiency of vitamin A develop the acne issue as it causes overproduction of keratin in hair follicles. This increases the risk of acne by making cells difficult for dead skin cells that are removed from hair follicles, leading to blockages.