Vitamin A or the so-called ” retinol ” is one of the fat-soluble vitamins and is stored in the liver, and it has many health benefits that many people overlook, and also when it is lacking in the body, this causes some health problems, and it is found in many foods, it can be consumed from its food sources without the need to take dietary supplements for it, except in cases of severe deficiency or cases that require it, and now come to us together on a tour about vitamin A to learn its secrets
What are the health benefits of vitamin A
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The benefits of vitamin A on human health are numerous, to include the following:
It contributes to the process of growth and development of cells.
Helps improve vision.
Promotes the health of the immune system.
Vitamin A is considered a powerful antioxidant, which protects the body from free radicals.
It maintains the functions of the heart, kidneys and lungs.
Enhance fertility.
Improving mental health in people with multiple sclerosis.
Reducing the symptoms associated with malaria in children.
Rapid improvement after a urinary tract infection.
Reduce the risk of cancer, especially lung, colon and prostate cancer.
It maintains a balance of blood sugar levels, especially for patients with Type II diabetes.
Treats anemia.
Reduce the risk of esophageal cancer.
Reduce the risk of death due to watery diarrhea in children, in the case of children infected with HIV.
Reduce the severity of complications associated with measles, and reduce the mortality rate of children with a deficiency of this vitamin, because it has an essential role in the formation and growth of erythrocytes, antibodies in addition to lymphocytes, which makes it able to reduce the risk of pneumonia associated with measles.
It is one of the beauty vitamins, it maintains the health of the skin and hair, as eating food sources of vitamin A helps to maintain hydration for the skin and hair.
Relieve the symptoms that accompany autism in children.
Improve growth in children, reduce stunting.
Improving the process of blood flow to the heart, as research has proven that taking vitamin A reduces the patient's stay time in the hospital, after the ” coronary artery bypass grafting”surgery
After we got acquainted with the health benefits of vitamin A, the question remains whether there are symptoms of a deficiency in vitamin A levels, this is what we will find out now.
What are the problems related to the lack of vitamin A levels in the blood
Vitamin A deficiency in the blood may cause some health problems, which are as follows:
The incidence of night blindness.
Dry skin.
Easy infection, especially in the larynx, chest and abdominal area.
Hyperthyroidism, high body temperature, developing fever.
Delayed childbearing and the presence of fertility problems.
Delayed development of children.
This is for vitamin A deficiency in the blood, but is there a danger of high levels of vitamin A in the blood, of course yes and we will mention it to you in the next lines.
What happens if vitamin A is overdosed
If the levels of vitamin A in the blood increase due to taking excessive doses of it, this may cause the following:
Skin sensitization as a result of sun exposure.
Yellowing of the skin.
Nails crack and break.
Hair loss.
Having liver problems such as hepatotoxicity.
Blurry vision.
Osteoporosis.
Skin irritation.
Diarrhea.
Pain in the joints.
Getting dizzy and nauseous.
Feeling of headache.
Difficulty gaining weight, loss of appetite.
Problems with the gums.
Permanently tired.
Malformations in fetuses.
The danger of excessive intake of vitamin A for a pregnant woman and her fetus
For a pregnant woman, she may be exposed to abortion due to excessive doses of vitamin A, and her fetus may be exposed to malformations in the organs and systems of the body.therefore, the doctor for women and childbirth prevents pregnant women from taking the liver, especially at the beginning of pregnancy, so as not to be exposed to those problems, because the liver contains a high percentage of vitamin A, and the percentage of pregnant women with night blindness may increase, and the chances of death of pregnant women may increase after taking excessive doses of vitamin A.
Which food sources of vitamin A are available
Before identifying the dietary sources of vitamin A in foods, you should know that there are two types of vitamin A, namely:
Vitamin A is found in its basic form in animal products, and is found in the following:
Meat
Fish.
Butter.
Poultry
Dairy products.
Fatty fish, especially Herring, red salmon, tuna.
Cod liver oil.
Signs of vitamin A, which is called provitamin A, are found in plant foods such as fruits and vegetables, an example is beta-carotene, which is more often found in Root and yellow-colored foods, such as mangoes, potatoes, pumpkin, cantaloupe, sweet red peppers, cowpeas, dried apricots, broccoli and tomatoes.
When provitamin A is ingested from plant sources containing it, it is converted in the body to vitamin A.
It is also found in the form of dietary supplements in pharmacies in the form of Retinyl acetate or retinyl palmitate or in the form of provitamin A ” beta-carotene” or a combination of these together.
But there is something to be careful about when taking vitamin A supplements, which is the safe daily dose of the vitamin, and here are the details in the next lines.
Contraindications to the use of vitamin A drugs
Despite the multiple health benefits of vitamin A, there are some cases in which its use is contraindicated, which are as follows:
In pregnancy, especially the first trimester.
The presence of an allergy to vitamin A or the components of the drug.
In cases of malnutrition.
In case of iron deficiency.
In cases of liver patients.
Take contraceptive drugs or fluidity drugs so that drug interactions do not occur.
In conclusion, we have finished providing the most important information and secrets about vitamin A and its health benefits for the skin, hair, growth and many things for the body, and we also took with you the safe dose with which vitamin A levels should not increase, and also the danger of taking it for pregnant and her fetus, as we mentioned the symptoms of its deficiency on physical health, and we mentioned the dietary sources of vitamin A, and we would like our article about vitamin A