VITAMIN A
Ingredient
What is Vitamin A?
Where does it come from?
Why is it used?
What are the benefits?
Bibliography
What is Vitamin A?
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient that plays an essential role in your body. Although vitamin A is often thought of as a single nutrient, it is actually a group of
fat-soluble compounds, including retinol, retinal, and retinyl esters (Gilbert, 2013b; O’Byrne & Blaner, 2013)
Where does it come from?
It occurs naturally in foods and can also be consumed through supplements. Vitamin A is only found in foods of animal origin. The richest food sources are liver, egg yolk and dairy products.
However, you can also get vitamin A from antioxidant plant compounds called provitamin A carotenoids, which are found in high amounts in some fruits and vegetables.
Provitamin A carotenoids cover about 30% of people’s vitamin A needs, on average. The most effective of these is beta-carotene, which is found in high amounts in kale, spinach and carrots (Tang, 2010)
Why is it used?
Vitamin A deficiency is one of the most common causes of blindness worldwide. (DeMaeyer, 1986)
This vitamin is essential for maintaining the light-detecting cells in your eyes, also called photoreceptors.
If you don’t get enough vitamin A, you are at risk for night blindness, dry eye, and even more serious conditions, depending on the severity of your deficiency. (Gilbert, 2013a)
➢ Vitamin A deficiency can lead to night blindness and dry eyes. Vitamin A is only found in animal foods, but your body can convert some plant-based carotenoids into vitamin A.
What are the benefits?
The vitamin A is a vitamin fat-soluble that is stored in our liver. It contributes to the natural development and normal growth of the body while maintaining the health of our eyes, skin and immune system.
This ingredient is used in:
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Bibliography
1. DeMaeyer, E. M. (1986). The WHO program of prevention and control of vitamin A deficiency, xerophthalmia and nutritional blindness . Nutrition and Health, 4(2), 105-112. https://doi.org/10.1177/026010608600400206
2. Gilbert, C. (2013a). The eye signs of vitamin A deficiency. Community Eye Health, 26(84), 66-67.
3. Gilbert, C. (2013b). What is vitamin A and why do we need it? Community Eye Health, 26(84), 65.
4. O’Byrne, SM, & Blaner, WS (2013). Retinol and retinyl esters: Biochemistry and physiology. J Journal of Lipid Research, 54(7), 1731‐1743. https://doi.org/10.1194/jlr.R037648
5. Tang, G. (2010). Bioconversion of dietary provitamin A carotenoids to vitamin A in humans. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 91(5), 1468S-1473S. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.2010.28674G
