Health Benefits of Vitamin A or Retinol

Vitamin A is an important nutrient. Retinal and retinol are referred as preformed Vitamin A. It helps in increasing the body’s immunity to fight infections and keeps your eyes and skin, moist.

Vitamin A or retinol is a fat soluble vitamin, which plays an important role in ensuring healthy eyes and bone development. Vitamin A deficiency is the most important cause of blindness among children. Vitamin A can prevent night blindness and dry eye and ensure clear vision.

Deficiency symptoms: Some of the major deficiency symptoms of Vitamin A include keratinization of the skin, night blindness, burning sensation or itching in eyes, inflammation of eyelids, xerophthalmia (dryness of the conjunctiva), dull lusterless hair dandruff, brittle nails that break easily, sexual disorders, precancerous changes in the body tissues. The deficiency of Vitamin A might also result in fatigue, insomnia and depression

Important Sources: Fish liver oils, cream, egg yolk, beef liver, cheddar cheese, fortified milk and butter products are rich sources of Vitamin A. Yellow or orange colored fruits and vegetables, containing the pigment carotene are also top sources. Include food items such as sweet potato, carrots, broccoli, spinach, mango, pumpkin, tomato, oatmeal, apricot, peach, peas, papaya and collard greens in your daily diet to ensure a regular supply of vitamin A.

Health benefits of vitamin A

Vitamin A is essential for a healthy body and it has many beneficial properties including a few listed below

Improves immunity: Vitamin A enhances body immunity against infections by increasing the lympocytic responses against disease causing antigens. It keeps the mucous membranes moist to ensure better immunity and also enhances the activities of white blood cells. It not just prevents the germs from easily entering your body but also helps to fight the infection, once the germs gain entry into the body system, thereby ensuring a double core protection.

Ensures healthy eyes: Vitamin A can aid in improved vision. It enables your eyes to adjust to light changes and keep the eyes moist and also improves night vision. It can prevent many conditions like dry eye as well. Vitamin A helps in the formation of visual purple in the eyes, which can improve the vision of weak eyes. Vitamin A ensures a healthy retina an also prevents night blind blindness by increasing the adaptability of the human eye to bright light and darkness. It can also significantly cut down the risks of cataracts and macular degeneration risk, which is commonly associated with ageing. It ensures healthy and beautiful eyes. It is also thought to be beneficial for people suffering from glaucoma.

Ensures soft and supple skin: Vitamin A helps to keep your body free from free radicals and toxins, which might cause damage to your skin. It helps to keep the skin soft and supple by ensuring moisture retention thereby preventing dryness, keratinization and skin conditions like psoriasis.

Stronger bones and teeth: This vitamin also strengthens the bones and teeth. Vitamin A helps in the formation of dentin, a layer of hard material just below the surface of the teeth, thereby enhancing its strength.

Prevents urinary stones: Vitamin A prevents the formation of urinary calculi due to the formation of calcium phosphate. It also helps to keep the lining of the urinary tract in shape thereby reducing the recurring chances of stones.

Prevents Muscular dystrophy: By keeping the bones healthy and by retaining their shape. Vitamin A plays an essential role in ensuring proper muscle growth in children and growing teens.

Prevents Acne: Vitamin A helps to cut down excess sebum production thereby reducing the risks of acne. It also reinforces the protective tissue of the skin thereby enhancing the overall health and vitality of the skin surface. Vitamin A is essential for the proper maintenance of the skin tissues and mucous membranes. It flushes out the toxins of your body and cleanses the system by virtue of its antioxidant properties.

Prevents certain forms of cancer: Vitamin A is also a powerful antioxidant, which can prevent certain forms of cancer.

Helps in the repair and replacement of old tissues: Vitamin A plays an important role in replacing old and worn out tissues with new ones and to keep your bones and teeth strong.

Slackens ageing: Vitamin A is famous for its wrinkle eliminating properties which can reduce the age spots and fine lines. It can slow down the aging process by enhancing the overall skin health.

Lowers cholesterol: It lowers blood cholesterol level thereby protecting you against the risks of heart disease and stroke.

Healthy reproductive system: This Vitamin is widely known for aiding best health of the reproductive system.

Know your limit:
Vitamin A is required only in trace amounts and any excess quantity would be expelled by the body unabsorbed. Make sure to ensure a regular supply of the requisite quantity for best results. Vitamin A overdose can have symptoms such as blurred vision and nausea. Severe symptoms might include growth retardation, and enlarged spleen and liver among others.

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