Health benefits of vitamin A (and risks)

Did your mother ever tell you to eat your carrots so you would see better? The vitamin A-rich food does in fact contribute to healthy eyes. But its value to your health goes beyond vision. Vitamin A also helps form and maintain healthy teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucous membranes, and skin.

Vitamin A in Foods

To insure that you are getting enough vitamin A in your diet, look for foods that have high levels of carotenoids, such as beta-carotene , that convert into a form of vitamin A. These include carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, cantaloupe, pink grapefruit, apricots, broccoli, spinach, and most dark green, leafy vegetables. The more intense the color of a fruit or vegetable, the higher the beta-carotene content.

Vitamin A in Animals Products

Vitamin A also comes from such animal sources, such as eggs, meat, milk, cheese, cream, liver, kidney, cod, and halibut fish oil. Many of these sources are high in saturated fat, and should be eaten only in moderation.

Symptoms of Deficiency and Excess

Vitamin A deficiency is rare in the United States, but it does occur. Symptoms include night blindness, eye inflammation, diarrhea and other problems. While a deficiency of vitamin A can make you more susceptible to infectious diseases and vision problems, an excess of the nutrient can may you sick. Vitamin A toxicity can cause growth retardation, hair loss and enlarged spleen and liver in its more severe form.

The Risks

Large doses of vitamin A are also linked to birth defects, growth retardation, hair loss, enlarged spleen and liver, and death. Symptoms include blurred vision, orange and peeling skin, headache, nausea, loss of appetite and menstrual irregularity in women. Vitamin A poisoning can occur in adults who repeatedly take more than 25,000 IU a day. Infants and children are more sensitive and can react to smaller doses.

photo by Andreas Andersson