Vitamin A: Benefits, Side Effects and Deficiency

How Can This Vitamin Help Me? Vitamin A, is a fat soluble vitamin. Vitamin A helps in maintaining good vision, healthy skin, hair, teeth and bones. It also helps in the proper functioning of the reproductive and immune system. Vitamin A also helps in the prevention of night blindness by helping the eye to adjust itself to the fluctuations in light. It helps to keep the eyes moist. It strengthens resistance to infections. It may also be able to inhibit a deadly form of skin cancer called melanoma. What are the Side Effects and How Much Should I Take? Fat soluable vitamins are accumulated in the body and can consequently cause side effects. An overdose of vitamin A can lead to hair loss, headaches, yellow pigmentation, blurred vision and liver damage. Consuming doses more than 25,000 IU, which is five times the RDA, can cause all these problems which is considered an overdose.Symptoms of overdose include low grade fever, dry skin, sore mouth, bleeding gums, drowsiness, diarrhea and severe vomiting. These symptoms disappear on withdrawal of the vitamin. The recommended daily allowance is 800ug. If you want to get obtain your intake from food sources then Vitamin A is found naturally in fish liver oils, liver, butter, egg yolks and cream. Fresh green leafy and yellow vegetables contain beta-carotene, which are later converted into retinal and subsequently to retinol. What Happens If I am Deficient in Vitamin A? The first signs of a vitamin A deficiency could be a weakened immune system, broken nails, dry skin and hair. Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness and the loss of moisture in the eye. It disturbs the proper functioning of the immune system thereby increasing mortality. It causes diseases that affect the digestive and respiratory system. The best course of action is to talk to your doctor or health professional who can advise you on supplementation.