Vitamin A

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Vitamin A By Ben Kim, D.C. Many plant-based eaters are under the impression that they can obtain all the vitamin A that they need from plant foods that contain carotenoids, particularly beta carotene found in foods like spinach, sweet potatoes, and carrots. It's true that some carotenoids like beta carotene can be converted to vitamin A in your body once they make it into your blood. What you may not know is that carotenoids are not always absorbed efficiently into your blood. Given that vitamin A deficiency is one

of the most common nutritional deficiencies in the world and is also a leading cause of death in young children, it's critical for the general public to know that relying solely on carotenoids in plant foods for daily vitamin A needs may lead to any of the following health problems over time: Skin Lesions Like Acne and Acne cea: Vitamin A is needed to develop and maintain moist and healthy epithelial tissues, including your skin. Many long time vegans find it difficult to understand why they have acne while on a whole food, plant-based diet. Vitamin A deficiency is undoubtedly a common cause of acne for all acne sufferers, but particularly for people who eat mainly a plant-based diet and don't include a reliable source of vitamin A in their diets. Poor Night Vision: Vitamin A combines with a protein in

the back of your eye to enable night vision. Weak Bones, Weak Teeth, and Poorly Spaced Teeth: Vitamin A is needed for proper growth and maintenance of bones and other soft tissues throughout your body. A Weak Immune System: Because vitamin A is needed for the development and maintainance of all of your body's barriers to infection like your skin, lungs, and the mucosal linings in your digestive and urinary tracts, a deficiency almost assures you of an immune system that is not as strong as it can be. Cancer: Since vitamin A is essential to the health of your immune system, a deficiency could increase your risk for developing certain forms of cancer, such as breast, lung, stomach, and cervical cancer. Anemia and Associated Fatigue: Vitamin A is needed for proper red blood cell formation. Vitamin A is actually a group of compounds that includes retinol, retinal, and the carotenoids. Retinol and retinal are found in animal foods such as liver, eggs, and butter. Because these forms of vitamin A are ready to be used by your body straight from their food sources, they are often referred to as pre-formed vitamin A. Carotenoids, in turn, are often referred to as provitamin A since they are precursors to Vitamin A and need to be converted in your body. The total vitamin A in your diet is therefore a combination of the pre-formed vitamin A and provitamin A in your diet. It's important to note that optimal absorption of retinol, retinal, and the carotenoids into your blood requires an adequate amount of healthy fat in your diet. This is because pre-formed and provitamin A are fat soluble compounds that are best absorbed into your blood in the presence of digestive juices that are needed to digest fat. The more healthy fat you include in your diet, the better you will absorb fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K into your blood. I don't believe it's practical to offer a chart that lists specific amounts of useable vitamin A in different foods because the amount of vitamin A that ultimately reaches your blood depends on the variables described above. So, here are two simple lists of healthy

foods that contain significant amounts of pre-formed and provitamin A. I believe that it is best for most people to eat foods from both groups on a regular basis to to meet their daily vitamin A needs. Pre-formed Vitamin A: Organic beef liver Organic lamb liver Organic eggs Organic butter Cod liver oil Provitamin A: Sweet potatoes or yams Canteloupe Spinach Carrots Butter nut squash What About Toxicity? With the exception of cod liver oil, all of the other foods listed above have virtually no potential to cause vitamin A toxicity in your tissues. So long as you stick to an appropriate dose of cod liver oil, you can rest assured knowing that you aren't getting too much vitamin A each day. Every study that I have looked at that discusses the potential for vitamin A toxicity looked at synthetic

sources of vitamin A. Clearly, it is best to get vitamin A from the healthy foods listed above and to avoid synthetic sources at all times. Suzi What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. health/ http://suziesgoats.wholefoodfarmacy.com/ http://360./suziesgoats

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[Guest guest]

taking too much of this vitamin can cause headaches if you are prone to headaches it cam make them worse per a neurologist I know.

From: michele horton

Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2008 9:35 AM

natural remedies

Subject: [ ] Vitamin A

http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/vitamin-a.asp

Vitamin A

Vitamin A, also called retinol, helps your eyes adjust to light changes when you come in from outside and also helps keep your eyes, skin and mucous membranes moist. Vitamin A mostly comes from animal foods, but some plant-based foods supply beta-carotene, which your body then converts into Vitamin A. It also has antioxidant properties that neutralize free radicals in the body that cause tissue and cellular damage. Early information from scientific studies suggests that beta-carotene might help people who already have Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). The American Heart Association doesn't recommend taking supplements of beta-carotene until more is known, however.

Nutritionists categorize vitamins by the materials that a vitamin will dissolve in. There are two categories: water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins, vitamins A, D, E and K are stored in the fat tissues of the body for a few days to up to six months. If you get too much of a fat-soluble vitamin, it can be stored in your liver and may sometimes cause health problems. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin.

Some people take mega-doses of fat-soluble vitamins, which can lead to toxicity. Eating a normal diet of foods rich in these vitamins won't cause a problem. Remember, you only need small amounts of any vitamin. In the case of vitamin A, overconsumption has been linked with an increased risk of fractures in postmenopausal women. Some health problems can make it hard for a person's body to absorb these vitamins. If you have a chronic health condition, ask your doctor about whether your vitamin absorption will be affected. Top

How Much Vitamin A Is Enough?It's recommended that women consume 800 mcg and men consume 1000 mcg of vitamin A daily.

Sources of Vitamin A

Top sources of vitamin A include:

Beef liver Egg yolk Cheddar cheese Fortified milk

Top sources of beta-carotene include:

Sweet potato Carrots Pumpkin Cantaloupe Broccoli Apricots Spinach and collard greens

Can You Have Too Much or Too Little?Vitamin A deficiency is rare in the United States, but it can cause night blindness, eye inflammation, diarrhea and other problems. Overconsumption of vitamin A can cause nausea, irritability and blurred vision in its mild form. In addition, the palms of the hands and the bottoms of the feet can turn orange if a person has a high intake of Vitamin A. Vitamin A toxicity can cause growth retardation, hair loss and enlarged spleen and liver in its more severe form. Vitamin A overdose can also cause birth defects and has been linked to increased risk of bone fractures in some people. Vitamin StorageIf you want to get the most vitamins possible from your food, refrigerate fresh produce, and keep milk and grains away from strong light. Vitamins are easily destroyed and washed out during food preparation and storage. If you take vitamin supplements, store them at room temperature in a dry place that's free of moisture.

Related Articles

Too Much Vitamin A May Put Some Women at Risk for Hip Fractures Increased Antioxidant Intake May Lower Your Risk of Alzheimer's

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[Guest guest]

Nancie, my Dad cannot take any form of vitamin A or Omega 3 Fats. He breaks out in a raw rash, that keeps him from sleeping, because it itches so bad. He is allergic to both supplements.

Thanks for the up date on Vitamin A. Love, Joy

[ ] Vitamin A

http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/vitamin-a.asp

Vitamin A

Vitamin A, also called retinol, helps your eyes adjust to light changes when you come in from outside and also helps keep your eyes, skin and mucous membranes moist. Vitamin A mostly comes from animal foods, but some plant-based foods supply beta-carotene, which your body then converts into Vitamin A. It also has antioxidant properties that neutralize free radicals in the body that cause tissue and cellular damage. Early information from scientific studies suggests that beta-carotene might help people who already have Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). The American Heart Association doesn't recommend taking supplements of beta-carotene until more is known, however.

Nutritionists categorize vitamins by the materials that a vitamin will dissolve in. There are two categories: water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins, vitamins A, D, E and K are stored in the fat tissues of the body for a few days to up to six months. If you get too much of a fat-soluble vitamin, it can be stored in your liver and may sometimes cause health problems. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin.

Some people take mega-doses of fat-soluble vitamins, which can lead to toxicity. Eating a normal diet of foods rich in these vitamins won't cause a problem. Remember, you only need small amounts of any vitamin. In the case of vitamin A, overconsumption has been linked with an increased risk of fractures in postmenopausal women. Some health problems can make it hard for a person's body to absorb these vitamins. If you have a chronic health condition, ask your doctor about whether your vitamin absorption will be affected. Top

How Much Vitamin A Is Enough?It's recommended that women consume 800 mcg and men consume 1000 mcg of vitamin A daily.

Sources of Vitamin A

Top sources of vitamin A include:

Beef liver Egg yolk Cheddar cheese Fortified milk

Top sources of beta-carotene include:

Sweet potato Carrots Pumpkin Cantaloupe Broccoli Apricots Spinach and collard greens

Can You Have Too Much or Too Little?Vitamin A deficiency is rare in the United States, but it can cause night blindness, eye inflammation, diarrhea and other problems. Overconsumption of vitamin A can cause nausea, irritability and blurred vision in its mild form. In addition, the palms of the hands and the bottoms of the feet can turn orange if a person has a high intake of Vitamin A. Vitamin A toxicity can cause growth retardation, hair loss and enlarged spleen and liver in its more severe form. Vitamin A overdose can also cause birth defects and has been linked to increased risk of bone fractures in some people. Vitamin StorageIf you want to get the most vitamins possible from your food, refrigerate fresh produce, and keep milk and grains away from strong light. Vitamins are easily destroyed and washed out during food preparation and storage. If you take vitamin supplements, store them at room temperature in a dry place that's free of moisture.

Related Articles

Too Much Vitamin A May Put Some Women at Risk for Hip Fractures Increased Antioxidant Intake May Lower Your Risk of Alzheimer's

Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search.