The Benefits of Vitamin A: Make Sure You Get Enough, But Not Too Much!

Benefits of Vitamin A

Here's a list (and explanation) of the main benefits of vitamin A along with some other facts...

Vision

This is one of the most well-known facts about vitamin A. The maintenance of vision (not to be confused with enhancement of vision.

Rhodopsin is a visual pigment located in the rods and cones of the retina. It's a complex of a vitamin A derivative called retinal and a protein called opsin. In response to light, a unique chemical reaction occurs, sending a signal to the brain in the form of an image through the optic nerve. These items can be regenerated over and over again, maximizing the use of each molecule. Although vitamin A is mostly used in the rods (night vision), similar reactions occur in the cones (color vision). Neat!

Reproduction

Retinol and retinal are critical for the production of sperm in the male and the support of fetal development in the female.

Epithelial Tissues

Retinoic acid is absent in the reproductive processes but promotes the growth and development of surface tissues, including the production of keratin, which provides dexterity and durability of the skin, bones and teeth. Vitamin C is responsible for the production of collagen, also providing skin durability and flexibility!

Prevention of Cancer

Studies show that vitamin A may help prevent cancers of epithelial tissues, such as the trachea (airway), esophagus, and intestinal linings. So, it's important for those who smoke or live in industrial, smoggy areas include enough vitamin A to help reduce their risk for these types of cancer (or just stop smoking!). On the other hand, large amounts of vitamin A can also increase the occurrence of prostate cancer - there's a thin line here. Enough, but not too much!

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It's important to realize that just because there are plenty of benefits of having enough vitamin A in your diet, having too much can lead to significant problems. It's a known fact that vitamin A is the most toxic vitamin when taken in excess.

People end up with toxicity problems because companies force the sale of vitamin A megadoses for those seeking help for over the counter skin treatments and other ointments.

How Much Vitamin A Should You Take?

The recommended daily intake from the FDA dictates that adult males (defined as 11+ years old) should take about 1,000 retinol equivalents, while females should take about 800.

Retinol equivalents is the system of measurement used for vitamin A, since this class of molecules contains a large number of derivatives from the carotenoids (there are over 500 of these) and retinoids. Because each of them has different bodily functions, retinol equivalents were adopted to make clear exactly how much of each type we need!

To learn more about how retinol equivalents and the RDA, click here.

Vitamin A Food Sources

People often go out of their way to find some great vitamin A food sources. It's important to avoid toxicity, because vitamin A derivatives might be present in places you may not think of. Remember, you don't need much of the stuff per day, so don't go overboard. As long as you're eating a normal diet, it won't really be necessary to supplement unless under certain circumstances.

Vitamin A Food Sources
Cream	Butter
Egg Yolk	Liver
Kidney	Other Organ Meats
Dark Green/Deep Yellow Vegetables	Low-Fat/Skim Dairy Products
Yellow and Orange Fruits	Fortified Cereals and Organic Products
Pumpkin	Beets

Check here for more information on the sources of vitamin A.

Table of Contents

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Return from the Benefits of Vitamin A to the Nutrition Guide

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