Vitamin A, also called retinol, helps your eyes adjust to light changes when you come in from outside and also helps keep your eyes, skin and mucous membranes moist. Vitamin A mostly comes from animal foods, but some plant-based foods supply beta-carotene, which your body then converts into Vitamin A. It also has antioxidant properties that neutralize free radicals in the body that cause tissue and cellular damage.
  • Early information from scientific studies suggests that beta-carotene might help people who already have Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). The American Heart Association doesn’t recommend taking supplements of beta-carotene until more is known, however.
  • Nutritionists categorize vitamins by the materials that a vitamin will dissolve in. There are two categories: water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins, vitamins A, D, E and K are stored in the fat tissues of the body for a few days to up to six months. If you get too much of a fat-soluble vitamin, it can be stored in your liver and may sometimes cause health problems. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin.
  • Some people take mega-doses of fat-soluble vitamins, which can lead to toxicity. Eating a normal diet of foods rich in these vitamins won’t cause a problem. Remember, you only need small amounts of any vitamin. In the case of vitamin A, over consumption has been linked with an increased risk of fractures in postmenopausal women.
  • Some health problems can make it hard for a person’s body to absorb these vitamins. If you have a chronic health condition, ask your doctor about whether your vitamin absorption will be affected.

Foods Rich in Vitamin A:

  • Carrots
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Cod Liver Oil
  • Red Pepper
  • Turkey Liver
  • Paprika
  • Mangoes
  • Mustard Greens
  • Butternut Squash
  • Kale
  • Cantaloupe
  • Peas
  • Turnip Greens

Contents

Uses

  • If you don’t get enough vitamin A, you are more likely to get infectious diseases and vision problems.
  • If you get too much vitamin A, you can become sick. Large doses of vitamin A can also cause birth defects.
  • Acute vitamin A poisoning usually occurs when an adult takes several hundred thousand IUs of vitamin A. Symptoms of chronic vitamin A poisoning may occur in adults who regularly take more than 25,000 IU a day. Babies and children are more sensitive to vitamin A, and can become sick after taking smaller doses of vitamin A or vitamin A-containing products such as retinol (found in skin creams).
  • Large amounts of beta-carotene will not make you sick. However, increased amounts of beta-carotene can turn the skin yellow or orange. The skin color will return to normal once you reduce your intake of beta-carotene.

Cautions

  • Symptoms of vitamin A toxicity include dry skin, joint pain, vomiting, headaches, confusion.
  • Risks. Don’t take more than the RDA of vitamin A unless your doctor recommends it. High doses of vitamin A have been associated with birth defects, lower bone density, and liver problems.
  • People who drink heavily or have kidney or liver disease shouldn’t take vitamin A supplements without talking to a doctor.

Interactions

  • If you take any medicines, ask your doctor if vitamin A supplements are safe. Vitamin A supplements may interact with some birth control pills, blood thinners (Coumadin), acne medicines (Accutane), cancer treatments, and many other drugs.

Other Names

3-Dehydroretinol, 3-Déhydrorétinol, Acétate de Rétinol, Antixerophthalmic Vitamin, Axerophtholum, Dehydroretinol, Déhydrorétinol, Fat-Soluble Vitamin, Oleovitamin A, Palmitate de Rétinol, Retinoids, Rétinoïdes, Retinol, Rétinol, Retinol Acetate, Retinol Palmitate, Retinyl Acetate, Rétinyl Acétate, Retinyl Palmitate, Rétinyl Palmitate, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin A1, Vitamin A2, Vitamina A, Vitamine A, Vitamine A1, Vitamine A2, Vitamine Liposoluble, Vitaminum A.

References

See Also: Palmitate

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