Need of Vitamin A for Your Healthy Body
What is vitamin A?
Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin. It is a very important nutrient for our eye sight. Vitamin A is otherwise known as retinol because its basic molecule is retinol. It was discovered in 1913.
What are the roles of vitamin A in our body?
Vitamin A plays an important role in vision, immune system, metabolism, tissue maintenance, growth, bone development and reproduction. Vitamin A compounds are stored in different kinds of photo pigments in our retina. Rhodopsin in particular, is a type of pigment that allows the rod cells in our eye to respond to night vision. The aldehyde form of vitamin A called retinal helps in the rodopsin synthesis. Vitamin A is very essential for the growth and development of our cells. The retinoic acid helps to synthesize many glycoproteins that control the cell growth, cell differentiation and cell adhesion.
Vitamin A helps in the normal metabolism of our bones. It also plays a role in the process of reproduction. Another important role of vitamin A is in the immune system. It promotes several immune system activities and regulates genetic events in the form of retinoic acid. Vitamin A helps in fighting the infections by enhancing the white blood cells and increases the response of anti-viral activity. Vitamin A is an important anti-oxidant agent which helps in protecting the unstable oxygen molecules called free radicals from oxidizing in our body.
Vitamin A has known to maintain the mucous lining of the surface tissues. These linings are the body’s defence against several common infections like cold and cough. Other roles of vitamin A may include the maintenance of healthy skin and hair.
What are the deficiency symptoms of vitamin A?
The deficiency symptoms of vitamin A may include reduced eye sight, viral infections due to low immune system activities and loss of appetite, hair loss and unhealthy skin. Vitamin A deficiency may lead to reduction in the production of rodopsin, which in turn leads to night blindness. The deficiency of the other form of the vitamin known as retinoic acid can lead to immune system disorders. It leads to reduced growth, deformed bone growth, breast cancer and digestive problems such as formation of kidney stones, loss of appetite and diarrhoea. Vitamin A deficiency may also lead to unhealthy mucous linings of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, which in turn causes fever and cold.
Vitamin A is rich in food stuffs like fish oil, fish liver, fortified foods, milk and also in many vegetarian foods especially the green and dark vegetables. Vitamin A is also available in supplements in the form of tablets, pills and tonics.
