Among all the vitamins and minerals essential to your body, Vitamin A is right at the top. Many women in India are Vitamin A deficient which leads to several health issues.
Vitamin A is important for the following.
- Vision, especially night vision
- Growth of cells and tissues like skin, hair, bones and so on
- Immunity by mucus secretion and T cells in WBC
- Reproduction and fertility for both men and women
Vitamin A exists in two forms.
- Preformed Vitamin A which is the active form. Also called Retinol.
- Provitamin A which is the indirect form like beta carotene.
Vitamin A is fat soluble which means that it enters our body from dietary fats and is stored in the fatty tissues in our body and the liver. Along with other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin D, E & K these vitamins enter right inside our body cells to reach the nucleus. That is why they are so important for our body functions.
Foods which contain Vitamin A
Vitamin A comes in three forms, Retinol which is the most active form, Retinal and Retinoic acid. The reason why retinol is called the active form is because it can be directly absorbed by the body. Organ meats like liver and kidneys, red meat, fatty fish like salmon, eggs and fermented milk products like cheese, butter, paneer, desi ghee and so on.
That is not necessary bad news for vegans because the indirect form of Vitamin A, beta carotene is easily available in plants. Beta carotene is converted to retinol in the walls of intestines. The two main sources of beta carotene are orange and yellow coloured vegetables like carrot and green leafy vegetables like spinach (palak) and broccoli.
Pro tip by Zinglife
Vitamin A helps in epilthelial tissue homeostasis which is the technical term of tissue regeneration. That is the secret of healthy skin and hair.
Production of sebum is helped by Vitamin A which maintains moisture in skin and hair.
There is sufficient intake of Vitamin A from the food we eat. Do not resort to Vitamin A supplements unless prescribed by the doctor.
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