Categories Vitamins and minerals

Vitamin A

Vitamin A

Vitamin A

Vitamin A or Retinol is a group of vitamins that are soluble in fat, play important roles in the body, and have several forms, including what is active, including what turns inside the human body, and plant sources of vitamin A are inactive, and besides its usefulness in the human body, it works As an antioxidant of plant cells, thus protecting and preserving their health, but this effect did not appear in humans.

Importance of vitamin A.

Vitamin A contributes to several vital processes in the body, including:

  • Vision.
  • Cellular splits and differentiation, ie cell transformation of muscle, neuronal and other different body cells.
  • Bone building.
  • Maintain healthy skin.
  • Increases fertility.
  • Contributes to the regulation of liver and endocrine function in terms of secretions.
  • It helps white lymphocytes attack and eliminate bacteria.
  • Contributes to the lining of the respiratory system, the urinary system, the intestines, and mucous membranes.

Sources of Vitamin A

  • For vitamin A several forms, the most active is retinol, can be obtained from:
    • Liver of cattle and sheep.
    • Full-fat milk and its products.
    • eggs.
  • Carotene, which is another form of vitamin A, also called vitamin A, it turns into vitamin A in the human body, and has several forms, most commonly known as marotin alpha, and beta carotene, which gives the dark color of plants, and is present in:
    • Fruits such as cantaloupe, mango, papaya, peach, tomato, apricot.
    • Vegetables such as carrots, turnips, spinach, lettuce, paprika especially red, parsley, pumpkin, broccoli, sweet potatoes.
    • Legumes such as green peas.
    • Whole grains like oatmeal.

Effects of vitamin A deficiency

Vitamin A deficiency is common in developing countries and is significantly reduced in developed countries, and sufferers are often restricted to those who drink too much, or who have a severe diet and the effects of deficiency on the body.

  • The night is the first sign.
  • Blindness due to corneal dryness and retinal damage.
  • Weak body resistance to infections, which causes the deaths of millions of children in developing countries because of measles, and other infectious diseases.
  • Pneumonia.
  • The growth rate in children declined.
  • Chronic diarrhea.

Effects of vitamin A supplementation

The body can not get rid of vitamin A because it does not dissolve in water, so increasing its consumption leads to several problems, including:

  • Nausea.
  • Loss of appetite and weight loss.
  • Dry mucous membranes.
  • Headaches.
  • Hair loss.
  • Difficulties in sleep.
  • Interference in vision.
  • Anemia.
  • Dry skin.
  • Abdominal cramps.
  • Fractures of bone when exposed to a minor accident.