Vitamin A: An Overview
Vitamin A is an antioxidant and fat soluble vitamin that plays an important role in many crucial functions that relate to vision and reproduction. The primary benefits of Vitamin A are listed below.
- Good vision
- Assists with reproduction and breastfeeding
- Healthy skin
- Protects the body from free radicals
Vitamin A is an important vitamin, and deficiency can lead to some serious conditions. Since it plays a major role in promoting good vision, it should be no surprise that Vitamin A deficiency can lead to such things as poor vision, with night vision being particularly effected. Other side effects can include a compromised immune system and skin bumps.
However, taking too much Vitamin A is not a good thing either. Since it is a fat soluble vitamin as opposed to water soluble vitamins like vitamin C, it is important to make sure you do not get too much Vitamin A. Side effects usually occur for people taking over 100,000 IUs, which is quite a lot. Although more rare, some people have reported symptoms from taking a smaller dose around 25,000 IUs. Vitamin A side effects include such things as dry or yellow skin, headaches, vomiting, and fatigue.
The recommended daily value of Vitamin A is 5000 IUs per day, as established by the USRDA. This recommendation however does change depending on factors such as age. 700 to 900 mcgs are a typical recommendation for adults.
The best source of Vitamin A is of course to get it from food sources, but given the modern, hectic lifestyle, this is not always possible. For such people, Vitamin A supplementation, typically through a multivitamin may be a good option.
Many health professionals believe that because of the lower chances of overdose, the best way to get Vitamin A is through beta-carotene (a precursor to Vitamin A that converts to Vitamin A within the body). 10,000 IUs of beta-carotene a day is a fairly common recommended dose. Vitamin sites offer more information on Vitamin A Benefits.
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