Vitamin A Foods

The benefits and best sources

There are many important roles in the body that require vitamin A foods, as this vitamin is an anti oxidant and has hormone like properties.  An important point to remember is that vitamin A cannot be utilised without sufficient zinc and protein.

Vitamin A is fat soluble and therefore is not easily broken down by our body.  This then makes excessive intakes possibly poisonous.

What are the main benefits of vitamin A?

• Vision - needed for day time vision but vitamin A makes vision possible in dim lighting (night vision).
• Growth and development of cell membranes, especially during pregnancy.
• May protect against cancer - especially lung, skin, colon and breast cancers for its involvement in cell adhesion, which is needed to prevent cancer spreading.
• Production of steroid hormones such as the male and female sex hormones and stress hormones.
• Fertility - needed for sperm production and maintenance of the menstrual cycle.
• Bone growth - it is believed that vitamin A helps vitamin D to build fresh bone.
• Immune defences - vitamin A is thought to be important in helping to fight viruses.
• Blood clotting

The Best Vitamin A Foods?

Vitamin A is found in foods of animal origin in the form of retinol.  The body also converts beta-carotene, found in plant foods, into vitamin A. 

Food sources of beta-carotene:

• Dark green leafy vegetables
• Most orange vegetables and fruit such as: carrots, red pepper, pumpkin, sweet potato, cress, endive, kale, romaine lettuce, spinach, watercress, dried apricots, cantaloupe, mango, papaya.

Food sources of retinol:

• Liver (the richest source of retinol)
• Oily fish such as: mackerel, herring, pilchards and sardines.
• Eggs
• Dairy (milk, cheese and butter)

The following may contribute to a deficiency of vitamin A:

• Alcohol, smoking, tea and coffee, stress and strenuous exercise
• Viral infections, measles, gastro intestinal infections
• Periods of fast growth
• Diabetes
• Underactive thyroid

Possible deficiency symptoms:

• Night blindness
• Eye ulcers
• Eye pains, burning and itching
• Dry skin
• Eczema
• Dandruff
• Acne
• Impotence
• Infertility
• Mouth ulcers
• Poor hair condition
• Food intolerances
• Gastric ulcers
• Infections such as: thrush, cystitis, kidney and lung infections and colds

Is it possible to eat enough to result in a vitamin A overdose?

It is possible to overdose on any vitamin if enough vitamin A foods are eaten but extremely large amounts need to be eaten for levels to be toxic, which is why an overdose is rare.

Vitamin A toxicity symptoms can include:

• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Peeling, redness or itching of skin
• Hair loss
• Headaches
• Night blindness

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