A for Vitamin A ... and Carrots

Other names:

Retinol-A
Pro-Vitamin A
Beta Carotene (technically, beta carotene is a precursor to Vitamin A)

Nutrient Family:

Vitamin

The most famous source of Vitamin A is the humble carrots. Throughout my life, my eyesight has been considered good. I never had myopia until quite late in life and even at my age now (50+), I do not suffer age related long-sightedness.

I attribute my good eye health to the raw carrots my mother used to feed me whenever she cooked carrots – to keep me occupied while she cooked the family's meals. With 8 children to feed, and carrots being one of those "regular" vegetables that we could afford in those days, I had plenty of raw carrots while I was young. The added blessing was, in those days, it was all organic; so, I had the maximum benefits of eating organic raw carrots. For the last couple of years, I have been on antioxidant eye supplements. All these helped to curb the degeneration of my eyes … due to age …

Vitamin A's Workings

Fat or Water Soluble Antioxidant:

Fat Soluble

Other functions besides being an antioxidant, Vitamin A is required for:

(healthy) color and, black and white vision; exist in the rods and cones of the eyes
bone growth
tooth development
reproduction
cell division
gene expression (from retinoic acid, converted from Vitamin A)
regulation of the immune system
to keep skin, eyes, and mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, throat and lungs moist.

Examples of signs of deficiency :

Night blindness
Very dry, rough skin
Decreased resistance to infections
Faulty tooth development
Lower bone growth.

Where Is Vitamin A Found Naturally?

Vitamin A can be sourced from :

animal products – fish oil, egg yolks, liver

o in Retinol form, ready to be used as Vitamin A

plants, in the forms carotenoids - beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, cryptoxanthin, and y-carotene

o which are converted into Vitamin A in the body

o also known as Pro-Vitamin A

Being a fat soluble vitamin, it is stored in our liver.

Examples of food sources :

carrots
liver
cheese
eggs
pumpkin
winter squash
dark green leafy vegetables
apricots

Health Benefits of Vitamin A

Examples the health benefits of Vitamin A :

Protects cell membranes
Protects fatty tissues
Boosts immune System
2 Fold health benefits against Radiation

o protects the DNA from radiation damages by neutralizing the free radicals

o retinol reduces the damages caused by radiation, to both the DNA and Immune system

Colitis (inflammation of colon and rectum)
Cancer

Possible Interactions

High or excessive dosage of Vitamin A is known to be toxic.
High dosage of carotenoids, which converts into Vitamin A, is known to be harmless as the carotenoids are water soluble and in a healthy body, excess can be passed out of the body.

o However, studies have shown that in smokers, excessive beta carotene can be harmful.

Patients on chemotherapy and radiation therapy are advised to stop taking Vitamin A while on these treatments due to the effect that Vitamin A is able to neutralized the effects of chemicals and radiations