How Vitamin A Works For Us
Vitamin A is also known as Retinol due to its function with the retina of the eye. So as you can imagine this vitamin plays a significant role in keeping the eyes healthy and maintaining good vision, particularly night time vision.
The eyes have a delicate pigment called rhodopsin, a light sensitive tissue lining located in the back of the eye in the retina. Vitamin A is needed for the formation of rhodopsin especially during dim light or darkness.
We also need Vitamin A to keep our immune system working, bone growth and development, reproduction, and the health of skin and mucus membranes.
Vitamin A also acts as an antioxidant which may help to protect the body from various cancers.
It is a fat soluble vitamin which can be stored in the liver. When Vitamin A is required, the liver releases it into the blood stream and it is delivered to the necessary cells and tissues.
How Our Body Absorbs Vitamin A
There are 2 ways our body absorbs dietary Vitamin A – The first is Active form, which is only obtained from animal products and is immediately available to the body. These are known as retinoids.
The second method of acquiring Vitamin A is known as Precursors or Provitamins which are obtained from fruits and vegetables and converted and stored, primarily in the liver, to be used as required.
Vitamin A Deficiency
A Vitamin A deficiency is highly unlikely in other than developing countries. It may occur in people with excessive alcohol consumption or medical conditions such as Crohn’s disease which affects their ability to absorb fats.
An inability to see well at night (also known as night blindness) is associated with a Vitamin A deficiency. A more severe deficiency could lead to the eye disorder xeropthalmia which could ultimately lead to irreversible blindness.
Other signs of Vitamin A deficiency include wounds not healing quickly, growth defects in children, dry, bumpy skin and rashes known as follicular hyperkeratosis.
Foods Rich In Vitamin A
It is really not too difficult to acquire 100% of your daily recommended intake of Vitamin A through the foods we eat.
Mother was right when she said; “eat your carrots or you won’t be able to see in the dark”. Just 1 medium size carrot contains virtually all of your daily Vitamin A requirements!
Foods that are rich in Vitamin A include:
Carrots – Raw – 1 cup – 686.3%
Calf Liver – Braised – 4oz – 609.7%
Spinach – Boiled – 1 cup – 377.3%
Sweet Potato – Baked with skin – 262.2%
Kale – Boiled – 1 cup – 192.4%
Turnip Greens – cooked – 1 cup – 158.3%
Winter Squash – Baked – 1 cup – 145.8%
Collard Greens – Boiled – 1 cup – 118.9%
Swiss Chard – Boiled – 1 cup – 109.9%
Red Bell Peppers – Raw – 104.9%
This list is the top 10 foods containing Vitamin A, but it is far from exhaustive with dozens of fruits, vegetables and dairy products containing good percentages. Here are some of the more common ones:
- Apricots
- Apricot nectar
- Cabbage
- Cantaloupe
- Carrot juice
- Cereals fortified with Vitamin A
- Eggs
- Liver – Beef, Pork, Chicken or Turkey
- Mango
- Margarine
- Milk
- Oatmeal
- Papaya
- Peas
- Peppers
- Tomato juice
- Whole milk cheese
- Whole milk yogurt
If you have any questions or comments regarding Vitamin A, please drop them below.