10 Interesting Facts about Vitamin A

These following facts about vitamin A should give you much information about what nutrition contains on this vitamin. Vitamin A is a group of unsaturated nutritional organic compounds, that includes retinol, retinal, retinoic acid, and several provitamin A carotenoids, among which beta-carotene is the most important. Vitamin A has multiple functions: it is important for growth and development, for the maintenance of th immune system and good vision. It is also needed by the retina of the eye in the form of retinal, which combines with protein opsin to form rhodopsin the light-absorbing molecule, that is necessary for both low-light and color vision. To get to know more about this vitamin, here are some facts about vitamin A you may be interested in.

Facts about Vitamin A 1: Retinol

Retinol is the form of vitamin A found in animal products, while carotenes are found in plants. Carotenes called pro-vitamin A because after they’re absorbed, your body turns them into vitamin A.

Facts about Vitamin A 2: Beta-carotene

Carotenes include beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin. Beta-carotene is the easiest to convert to vitamin A.

Facts about Vitamin A 3: Plant Sources

Plant sources of vitamin A include orange and dark green fruits and vegetables such as sweet potato, spinach, mango and apricots.

Facts about Vitamin A 4: Animal Sources

Animal sources include liver, fish, and eggs. Liver and fish oils contain the most vitamin A.

Facts about Vitamin A 5: Need

Women need about 700 micrograms per day and men need about 900 micrograms.

Facts about Vitamin A 6: Vitamin A Deficiency

Vitamin A deficiency is rare in developed countries, but it can occur premature infants, and is a little more common in children living in undeveloped countries.

Facts about Vitamin A 7: Antioxidants

Beta-carotene supplements are often taken as antioxidants. A formula including veta carotene, zinc, vitamin C and copper has been shown to slow the progression of intermediate and advanced age-related macular degeneration, or AMD.

Facts about Vitamin A 8: Toxicity

Since vitamin A is fat-soluble, disposing of any excesses taken in through diet takes much longer than with water-soluble B vitamins and vitamin C. This allows for toxic levels of vitamin A to accumulate.

Facts about Vitamin A 9: Hypervitaminosis A

Hypervitaminosis A is a condition that can occur if you regularly take large amounts of vitamin A supplements. This doesn’t include the carotenes, only preformed vitamin A.

Facts about Vitamin A 10: Essential

Vitamin A is essential for normal cell growth and differentiation but research hasn’t indicated any clear relationship between vitamin A intake and cancer prevention.

Those who want to be healthy on vision might have taken those facts really useful for it. Hope you would find those vitamin A facts really interesting.