Introduction
Vitamin A is fat soluble which means it requires fat to be absorbed in the body and it’s best absorbed when eating foods with fats. There are many benefits to vitamin A, it supports the immune system, vision and growth/development for children. Another positive to vitamin A is it can “also help the heart, lungs and other organs work properly” (U.S department of Health and Human Services, 2022d).
Food sources
It is important to note that there are two different sources for vitamin A. Preformed vitamin A comes from animals while provitamin A are carotenoids that the body turns into vitamin A (Hodge, Taylor, 2023). Below are a few examples on how you can get vitamin A in your diet.
Animal based: beef liver (organ meat), milk, eggs, and fish.
Plant based: kale, spinach, broccoli (dark green leafy vegetables), carrots, apricots, mangos and cantaloupe.
Daily recommended amount
The average daily recommended amount of vitamin A varies on the person's age and sex. According to the NIH there is a chart that states the correct micrograms for vitamin A in the different stages of life (U.S department of HHS).
Deficiency
Vitamin A deficiency is uncommon in the United States due to it being fortified within our food such as cereal. Although in developing countries vitamin A deficiency is common due to poverty or having a limited diet and the population most at risk are children.
There are also groups of individuals that could have a harder time getting enough vitamin A such as:
premature infants,
pregnant and breastfeeding women
people with restricted diets
those who have inflammation and gut problems
Individuals with cystic fibrosis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and/or celiac disease could also have issues absorbing the recommended amount of vitamin A (Hodge, & Taylor, 2023).
Toxicity signs & symptoms
Along with not having enough vitamin A, there is also having too much vitamin A that can be toxic for the body. These signs and symptoms are “severe headache, blurred vision, nausea, dizziness, muscle aches, and problems with coordination”(U.S department of Health and Human Services, 2022d). In certain cases having extreme amounts of vitamin A can lead to a coma or death. Another important note is if a person is pregnant and is consuming too much vitamin A it can cause birth defects in the fetus such as “abnormal eyes, skull, lungs, and heart” (U.S department of Health and Human Services). As for having extreme amounts of beta-carotene the only negative is that the person's skin turns yellow-orange and this is harmless as well as reversible.
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