Vitamin A is highly important for human health.
They’re essential for maintaining healthy vision, ensuring the normal function of your immune system and organs and aiding the proper growth and development of babies in the womb.
It’s recommended that men get 900 mcg, women 700 mcg and children and adolescents 300–600 mcg of vitamin A per day.
Health benefits of vitamin A.
Protects Your Eyes From Night Blindness and Age-Related Decline
Vitamin A is essential for preserving your eyesight and is needed to convert light that hits your eye into a signal that can be sent to your brain. In fact, one of the first symptoms of vitamin A deficiency can be night blindness, known as nyctalopia. Night blindness occurs in people with vitamin A deficiency.
People with this condition can still see normally during the day, but have reduced vision in darkness as their eyes struggle to pick up light at lower levels.
In addition to preventing night blindness, eating adequate amounts of beta-carotene may help slow the decline in eyesight that some people experience as get older.
Vitamin A may Lower Your Risk of Certain Cancers
Cancer occurs when abnormal cells begin to grow or divide in an uncontrolled way. As vitamin A plays an important role in the growth and development of your cells, it may have an influence on cancer risk. In some studies, eating higher amounts of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene has been linked to a decreased risk of certain types of cancer, including Hodgkin's lymphoma, as well as cervical, lung and bladder cancer.
Yet, though high intakes of vitamin A from plant foods have been associated with a reduced risk of cancer, animal foods which contain active forms of vitamin A aren’t linked in the same way. Similarly, vitamin A supplements haven’t shown the same beneficial effects.
At the moment, the relationship between vitamin A levels in your body and cancer risk is still not fully understood.
Vitamin A supports a Healthy Immune System
Vitamin A plays a vital role in maintaining your body’s natural defences. This includes the mucous barriers in your eyes, lungs, gut and genitals which help trap bacteria and other infectious agents.
It’s also involved in the production and function of white blood cells, which help capture and clear bacteria and other pathogens from your bloodstream.
This means that a deficiency in vitamin A can increase your susceptibility to infections and delay your recovery when you get sick.
Vitamin A reduces Your Risk of Acne
Acne is a chronic, inflammatory skin disorder. People with acne develop painful spots and blackheads, most commonly on the face, back and chest. These spots occur when the sebaceous glands get clogged up with dead skin and oils. These glands are found in the hair follicles on your skin and produce sebum, an oily, waxy substance that keeps your skin lubricated and waterproof.
Though the spots are physically harmless, acne may have a serious effect on people's mental health and lead to low self-esteem, anxiety and depression.
The exact role that vitamin A plays in the development and treatment of acne remains unclear.
It has been suggested that vitamin A deficiency may increase your risk of developing acne, as it causes an overproduction of the protein keratin in your hair follicles.
Vitamin A supports Bone Health
The key nutrients needed for maintaining healthy bones as you age are protein, calcium and vitamin D. However, eating enough vitamin A is also necessary for proper bone growth and development, and a deficiency in this vitamin has been linked to poor bone health.
In fact, people with lower blood levels of vitamin A are at a higher risk of bone fractures than people with healthy levels. A recent analysis found that people with the highest amounts of total vitamin A in their diet had a 6% decreased risk of fractures.
Vitamin A promotes Healthy Growth and Reproduction
Vitamin A is essential for maintaining a healthy reproductive system in both men and women, as well as ensuring the normal growth and development of embryos during pregnancy. Rat studies examining the importance of vitamin A in male reproduction have shown that a deficiency blocks the development of sperm cells, causing infertility. Animal studies have also suggested that vitamin A deficiency in females can impact reproduction by reducing egg quality and affecting egg implantation in the womb.
In pregnant women, vitamin A is also involved in the growth and development of many major organs and structures of the unborn child, including the skeleton, nervous system, heart, kidneys, eyes, lungs and pancreas.
Yet, though much less common than vitamin A deficiency, too much vitamin A during pregnancy can be harmful to the growing baby as well and may lead to birth defects.
Therefore, many health authorities recommended that women avoid foods that contain concentrated amounts of vitamin A, such as pâté and liver, as well as supplements containing vitamin A during pregnancy.
Vitamin A is vital for many important processes in your body.
It’s used to maintain healthy vision, ensure the normal functioning of your organs and immune system, as well as establishing normal growth and development of babies in the womb.
Both too little and too much vitamin A could have negative effects on your health.
