Too much or too little, the importance of Vitamin A

by: Shereena Sakhrani

Vitamin A is an essential fat-soluble nutrient that plays a big part in your health but what’s it really for? Well Vitamin A plays a key role in your vision growth, bone development, reproduction, immune function, and healthy epithelial tissues.

please take time to read the disclaimer at the end of this blog!

These days when we’re feeling a little sluggish and are lacking the nutrients we need for our body, all it takes for many of us is a quick trip to the nearest drugs store and purchase the supplement assuming that after taking it in, everything will turn out well. We spend so much money on supplements assuming that it will work wonders for our health but not knowing the side effects. We take in Vitamins but we don’t necessarily know if we’re lacking or taking in too much.

Aside from supplements, you can get Vitamin A from such foods as fish and liver, green and yellow fruits and vegetables, Apricots, asparagus, beets, broccoli, butter, cantaloupe, carrots, cheese, garlic, green olives, milk products, mustard (fresh), papaya, parsley, peaches, prunes, red peppers, sweet potatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and watercress.

Hundred of thousands of children go blind each year in due to Vitamin A deficiency. Although Vitamin A deficiency is rare in North America, it is more common in developing countries. Many other health issues occur do to lack of Vitamin A such as Acne, allergies, loss of appetite, blindness, colds, dry hair, eye sties, fatigue, insomnia, impaired growth, itching and burning eyes, loss of smell, night blindness, dry skin, sinus trouble, steroid synthesis reduction; Decreased immune system function, cancer susceptibility.

It is very important for us to have enough Vitamin A but the question now is “are we getting too much?” Taking in too much Vitamin A is also harmful to health. Birth defects, liver abnormalities, central nervous system disorders, and lower bone mineral density are some of the few side affects from taking too much Vitamin a.

So what is the recommended daily Vitamin A allowance? Below is a chart of the amount of vitamin that we should be taking in on a daily basis.

daily values obtained from: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamina

It is our responsibility to take care of our bodies and give ourselves the proper amount of nutrients we need. It is also important to remember that too much of a good is also harmful to our health. That’s why it is important to understand what we are taking in, know the pros and cons and make sure we’re not taking in too much or too little.


Disclaimer:

All post and information provided within this blog is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website. Please consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health and wellbeing or on any opinions expressed within this website. The information provided in myblog is believed to be accurate based on the best judgment of the author. However, you as the reader must be responsible for consulting with your own health professional on  matters raised within. I ,the author of Nutritional Health Blog of any information will not accept responsibility for the actions or consequential results of any action taken by any reader.