Make sure you get adequate vitamin-A for healthy vision, skin and a strong immune system.
Dark green leafy vegetables, peas and tomatoes are good sources of vitamin-A
What you must know about
vitamin-A!
Vitamin-A is a fat-soluble vitamin. Identified in 1913, it was in fact the first fat soluble vitamin to be discovered.
Though vitamin-A is primarily found in foods of animal origin, some fruits and vegetables contain compounds — called the carotenoids – which your body can convert into vitamin-A.
Carotenoids are plant pigments responsible for the yellow, red and orange colours of the fruits and vegetables.
Benefits of vitamin-A
Promotes healthy vision: Vitamin-A is also known as retinol because it helps produce the pigments in the retina of the eye, vitamin-A plays a big part in giving you healthy eyesight. It prevents night blindness and even helps you see in colour.
Boosts immunity: Vitamin-A aids the body’s immune system to ward of infections. Vitamin-A is known to enhance the function of white blood cells, promotes response of antibodies and antigens – thereby strengthening the immune system’s defence against disease and infection.
Other roles of vitamin-A: Vitamin-A is essential for reproductive processes in both men and women. It also helps maintain healthy skin, teeth, skeletal and soft tissues, and mucus membranes.
Deficiency in vitamin-A
Vitamin-A deficiency primarily affects the health of skin, hair, eyes and immune system. Loss of appetite, bone abnormalities, retarded growth are also associated with inadequate intake of vitamin-A.
Hyperkeratosis is another deficiency disease of vitamin-A. Hyperkeratosis, a goose bump-like appearance on the skin is caused by excess production of a skin protein called keratin that blocks the hair follicles. In the initial stages, it is found on the arms and thighs; in advanced stages it can spread to the whole body – causing hair loss.
Prolonged vitamin-A deficiency can lead to nigh blindness, due to an aberration in production of rhodopsin, a compound in the retina, which is responsible for detecting small amounts of light.
Apart from night blindness, certain other vision problems such as Xerophthalmia (characterised by changes to the conjunctiva and cornea of the eye) are also seen in cases of prolonged vitamin-A deficiency.
Foods that contain Vitamin-A include:
- Dark green leafy vegetables
- Oranges
- Musk melon
- Carrots
- Sweet Potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Apricots
- Asparagus
- Grapefruit
- Papaya
- Green beans
- Green peas
- Plum
- Prunes
Warning against excess vitamin-A!
Too much of vitamin-A can make you sick and even cause birth defects.
Also check out: Vitamins, benefits and sources
Photograph via sxc.hu
