Description | Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is present in many foods. It is essential to have enough vitamin A supplements in the body, as it helps build a stronger immune system, good for vision, and reproduction. Also, vitamin A helps the lungs, kidneys, heart, and other organs in the bodywork properly. There are two types of vitamin A – the first type is the provitamin vitamin A, which is found in poultry, meat, fish and dairy products. The second type is found in fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based products. Meanwhile, the most common type of provitamin A found in foods, and dietary supplements are beta-carotene. |
Body functions | Vitamin A helps the body in numerous ways, here are some of the ways it helps the body; - Reduces the risk of having some form of cancer - Helps prevent loss of vision or deteriorating vision - Helps to fight measles in children |
Deficiency Symptoms | Dry skin, dry eyes, night blindness, infertility, delayed growth, throat and chest infections, poor wound healing, and acne breakout. |
Causes of Deficiency | There is a high risk of vitamin A deficiency in pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, infants, and children. Also, people with chronic diarrhea and cystic fibrosis are run the risk of deficiency. |
Food sources | You can get recommended amount of vitamin A for the body by eating a variety of food such as; Fruits, Dairy products, Green leafy vegetables, fish, beef liver and other organ meats, and cereals with milk. |
Medicinal sources | You can get vitamin A in dietary supplements that are in the form of retinyl acetate or retinyl palmitate (preformed vitamin A), beta-carotene (provitamin A), or a combination of preformed and provitamin A. Also, most multivitamin-mineral supplements contain vitamin A. |
Daily recommended value | High intakes of vitamin A can be harmful to the body, which is why there’s a daily limit to the amount of vitamin A that should go into the body. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Daily Value (DV) of vitamin A for adults and children aged four years and older, is 5000 IU from a varied source of both animal and plant foods. |
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