Vitamin A is found in the liver and milk products, helping to maintain visual health and cell activity. However, too much of this substance will cause serious health damage, especially for pregnant women.
Vitamin A is found in the liver and milk products, helping to maintain visual health and cell activity.However, too much of this substance will cause serious health damage, especially for pregnant women.
Vitamin A and considerations for use
Picture 1 of Benefits and harms of vitamin A?
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin with 4 basic functions in the body:
1, Help the cell perform normal copying activity, otherwise they will undergo precancerous changes.
2, Essential for visual health, helps cells in a structure of the eye stay healthy. In addition, it is very important for the conversion of light into nerve signals in the retina.
3, Necessary for normal growth and development of embryos and fetuses. Vitamin A affects genes that determine the continuous development of certain organs during embryonic development.
4, Necessary for reproductive function, because it affects the function and development of sperm, ovaries and placenta.
Where does Vitamin A come from?
There are two main sources of vitamin A for the body:
Animals : (in the form of vitamin A: retinol) found in liver, milk, egg yolk .
Plants (in the form of vitamin A precursors: beta-carotene): available in yellow and green vegetables and fruits: cabbage, lettuce, carrots .
Vitamin A can also be found in supplements.
Picture 2 of Benefits and harms of vitamin A?
What diseases does Vitamin A relate to?
1- There is a close relationship with credible scientific evidence with the following diseases:
Anemia
Cystic fibrosis
Infection
Measles
Blind
Blind at night
2 - There is evidence of opposition, not clear and primitive about the relationship with the following diseases:
Bronchitis
Heart attack
Immune dysfunction
Anemia due to iron deficiency
Measles
Dysmenorrhea
Intestinal ulcer
Heal
3 - Relationship with ancient medicine and little impact on the following phenomena:
Acne
Support alcohol
Conjunctivitis
Crohn's disease
Diabetic retinitis
Diarrhea
Gastritis
Goiter
Lung cancer
Premenopausal syndrome
Urinary tract infections
Vaginitis
Who is prone to vitamin A deficiency?
People who abstain from liver, dairy products and vegetables containing beta carotene - vitamin A prefixes and will turn into this element in the body.
Infants are too light weight
People with hypothyroidism cause decreased activity of converting beta carotene to vitamin A.
Elderly people with type 2 diabetes
The earliest signs of vitamin A deficiency are weak night vision. Also may be skin dryness, susceptibility to infections and metaplasia disease (a precancerous disease).
Picture 3 of Benefits and harms of vitamin A?
How to add?
Vitamin A supplies the body mainly through food and vitamin supplements. Daily vitamin A needs of the body:
Men: 3,000UI.
Female: 2,300UI.
Pregnant and lactating women: 3,000UI.
Children: 2,000UI.
However, people over 65 years of age or liver disease do not exceed 15,000 IU / day, unless directed by a doctor. For pregnant women, the level of dark absorption is still being reassessed, but less than 10,000 IU (3,000 mcg) per day is safe.
Note when using vitamin A
When vitamin A is of animal origin (Retinol), it provides the body with many times the daily needs for a long time, causing harm to the body such as:
Hepatotoxicity.
Causing disability to the fetus.
Hair loss.
Osteoporosis.
Disorders of skin pigmentation.
Dry skin.
Anorexia.
Diarrhea.
Nausea.
Dizzy…
With plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene), excess supply causes jaundice. When you stop using it for a while, this phenomenon will disappear.
Some drugs such as neomycin, cholestyramine, liquid paraffin reduce vitamin A absorption, so be careful not to use it together.
Contraceptives can increase plasma levels of vitamin A and have an unfavorable effect on conception.
Vitamin A should be avoided with retinoids (substances with the same chemical formula as vitamin A) because of the harmful effects of high doses of vitamin A in the long term.