Vitamin A

 

Vitamin a is produced by animals and is not found in plants. It has a yellowish tinge and is stable in air at ordinary temperatures. At high temperatures it is rapidly destroyed in the presence of oxygen. Food cooked in open pans frequently lacks Vitamin A due to the high oxygen levels. In a pressure cooker the lower levels of oxygen favour Vitamin a retention.

If you eat animal products in your diet then the supply of A Vitamin is not a challenge. However a vegetarian must be aware of the lack in their diet and eat foods that are a source of cartoene. The body is able to convert this into the vitamin.

The carotenes are all yellowish materials that give the typical color to carrots and other plant foods. Corn can also serve as a source of vitamin A due to another yellow pigment. An excess of carotene has an impact on the the skin causing a yellow discoloration.

 

Daily Recommendations for Vitamin a

The recommended daily intake of A Vitamin is 5000 International Units per day, which is actually an extremely small quantity. The vitamin e, can improve uptake of vitamin a.

Overdosing with vitamin A can have serious consequences:

• such as fragility of the bones
• drying and peeling of the skin
• nausea
• headaches
• loss of serum proteins.

Recovery from these effects is usually slow.

 

Health Benefits of A Vitamin

Essential to the health and well-being of epithelial tissues, vitamin a makes them less likely to form diseases. The lining of the digestive and respiratory tracts (as well as many glands) is made up of epithelium and the normal performance of many organs is upset if vitamin a is lacking.

• Tissues become dry and the cells break away.
• Glands cease to produce their normal secretions. For example tears may be lessened and the outer layers of the eye become dry and opaque. This condition, known as dry-eye, is a cause of blindness.

Vitamin a plays another important function in vision, it is essential for the proper formation of rhodopsin in the rods of the retina of the eye. Recovery from glare is slow and the ability to see in a dim light is impaired. So you see maybe eating your carrots is good for seeing at night!

A deficiency of the vitamin in a child's diet, or in the diet of the mother before the birth of the child, can hamper the development of the tooth enamel. Pits may form in the surface of the tooth enamel which will lead to early tooth decay.

 

Food Sources of A Vitamin

The common foods which are rich in vitamin a contain a large amount of carotene.

These are all yellow vegetables and the outer leaves of cabbage and lettuce, spinach, kale, collard, and mustard greens all contain carotene.

 

Animal foods, such as whole milk, butter, eggs, liver, kidney, and some fish, contain the vitamin itself.