What is vitamin A?
Vitamin A is found in certain foods. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that is stored in the liver and is involved in the proper functioning of organs such as the heart and lungs.
It also helps to maintain the immune system, maintain good vision and reproductive capacity.
The only way to acquire vitamin A is through food. We can find it in two types:
- The preformed form of vitamin A, retinol, is found in animal and dairy products.
- Provitamin A. They are the precursors of this vitamin, such as carotenes, beta-carotenes and gamma-carotenes. It can be found in foods of vegetable origin, such as vegetables and fruit.
Vitamin A deficiency is a person can cause eye problems and dry skin.
High consumption, especially of preformed vitamin A, can also cause problems, as it can lead to intoxication and hair loss, migraines and hypertension. It is especially contraindicated during pregnancy because it can cause defects in the fetus.
Foods with vitamin A
The amount of vitamin A required by humans depends on the age and sex of each person.
Some of the foods with the highest presence of vitamin A are liver, sweet potato, carrot, broccoli leaf, butter, cabbage, pumpkin, spinach, cheddar cheese, cantaloupe and red bell pepper.
What is vitamin A for?
Vitamin A promotes the development or maintenance of a number of actions in the body:
- As retinol, it helps in the formation and support of teeth, soft tissues, bone tissues and mucous membranes.
- As beta-carotene, it acts as an antioxidant, protecting against free radicals.
- Stimulates the creation of antibodies, thus preventing infectious diseases.
- It is a very important contribution to the development of vision and prevents eye-related diseases.
Commitment to quality
This text on vitamin A has been prepared by professional editors. In addition, we have relied on experts in medicine, engineering and aesthetics as a source of information, as well as specific studies to maintain the quality of what we publish.
At Sisneo Bioscience we are committed to publish truthful and contrasted information. And to update or correct it as soon as new knowledge becomes available.
Among others, we have used the following sources:
- Wang Z, Boudjelal M, Kang S, Voorhees JJ, Fisher GJ. «Ultraviolet irradiation of human skin causes functional vitamin A deficiency, preventable by all-trans retinoic acid pre-treatment» en Nat Med. 1999 Apr;5(4):418-22. doi: 10.1038/7417. Erratum in: Nat Med 1999 Jul;5(7):849.
- Blomhoff R. «Transport and metabolism of vitamin A» en Nutr Rev. 1994 Feb;52(2 Pt 2):S13-23. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.1994.tb01382.x.
