Vitamin A or retinol is one of the main fighters against aging and wrinkles, it speeds up the process of exfoliating old, dying skin cells and replacing them with new ones. The vitamin also plays an important role in the formation of bones and teeth.
Vitamin A supports the immune system in the body. In case of its deficiency, the body begins to fail – resistance to infectious diseases decreases, in children – growth slows down. Vitamin A protects us from colds, flu and infections of the respiratory tract, digestive tract, urinary tract. A sufficient amount of vitamin A in the blood is one of the main factors responsible for the fact that children are much easier to tolerate infectious diseases such as measles, chicken pox, while due to a lack, the likelihood of contracting viral infections is greatly increased. Vitamin A sufficiency prolongs life even for AIDS patients.
The lack of this essential element can lead to serious health problems. First of all, vision “suffers” from this. From school anatomy lessons, everyone will probably remember the disease, popularly known as “night blindness” (inability to see in the dark).
With a lack of vitamin A, seemingly for no reason, headaches can torment and appetite disappears. Vitamin A is necessary for the production of progesterone, which supports the processes associated with procreation. And no matter how strange it may sound, – it would seem such a trifle – a lack of vitamin A – in the most advanced cases can lead to infertility.
More recently, scientists have made public the fact that vitamin A helps maintain a constant blood sugar level by helping the body use insulin more efficiently. This data will help doctors fight diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, hypoglycemia and obesity.
Where is vitamin A found
Vitamin A comes to us in the body “in finished form” with animal products – meat liver and kidneys, butter, milk, sour cream and cream, as well as cheese and eggs.
What about your favorite carrot? Yes, yes, of course, and she gives us vitamin A. Only he comes to us in the form of a so-called provitamin called carotene. Our body converts it into vitamin A. A high content of carotene is not only a favorite hare delicacy, but also parsley, spinach, sorrel, celery, tomatoes, apricots, sea buckthorn, red pepper.
Unlike vitamin C and others,vitamin A is temperature stable but sensitive to light and oxygen, so butter, sour cream, cream and fats are best stored in closed containers. Oxidized, these products lose their nutritional value. Also, the amount of this vitamin decreases upon contact with iron and copper utensils.
Vitamin A, unlike other vitamins, tends to accumulate in the human body. However, do not think that because of this – we have an abundance of vitamins. Even fully nourished, we lose about 20-30 percent of the vitamins and microelements we need. And this problem is especially relevant for strict vegetarians. And no matter what they say about the usefulness of such a “diet”, it is impossible to make up for the lack of vitamin A with vegetables and fruits.
But in the additional use of vitamins, you need to know the measure.An excess of vitamin A in the body will not lead to anything good. Doctors have concluded that high doses of vitamin A can cause changes in the fetus of pregnant women.
