Vitamin A

Thanks to oxford vitality for their illustrated poster

Vitamin A is involved in immune function, vision, reproduction, and cellular

Sources of Vitamin A
Food

Concentrations of preformed vitamin A are highest in liver and fish oils
Other sources of preformed vitamin A are milk and eggs, which also include some provitamin A.

Most dietary provitamin A comes from leafy green vegetables, orange and yellow vegetables, tomato products, fruits, and some vegetable oils .

The top food sources of vitamin A include dairy products, liver, fish, and fortified cereals;

the top sources of provitamin A include carrots, broccoli, cantaloupe, and squash .

Vitamin A is the generic term for a group of fat-soluble compounds highly important for human health.

They’re essential for many processes in your body, including maintaining healthy vision, ensuring the normal function of your immune system and organs and aiding the proper growth and development of babies in the womb.

It’s recommended that men get 900 mcg, women 700 mcg and children and adolescents 300–600 mcg of vitamin A per day .

Vitamin A compounds are found in both animal and plant foods and come in two different forms:

preformed vitamin A and 
provitamin A.

Preformed vitamin A is known as the active form of the vitamin, which your body can use just as it is. It’s found in animal products including meat, chicken, fish and dairy and includes the compounds retinol, retinal and retinoic acid.

Provitamin A carotenoids — alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin — are the inactive form of the vitamin found in plants.

These compounds are converted to the active form in your body. For example, beta-carotene is converted to retinol (an active form of vitamin A) in your small intestine

Benefits of vitamin A

 Protects Your Eyes From Night Blindness and Age-Related Decline

Vitamin A is essential for preserving your eyesight.

The vitamin is needed to convert light that hits your eye into an electrical signal that can be sent to your brain.

In fact, one of the first symptoms of vitamin A deficiency can be night blindness, known as nyctalopia .

Night blindness occurs in people with vitamin A deficiency, as the vitamin is a major component of the pigment rhodopsin.

Rhodopsin is found in the retina of your eye and extremely sensitive to light.

People with this condition can still see normally during the day, but have reduced vision in darkness as their eyes struggle to pick up light at lower levels.

In addition to preventing night blindness, eating adequate amounts of beta-carotene may help slow the decline in eyesight that some people experience as they age .

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world. Though its exact cause is unknown, it’s thought to be the result of cellular damage to the retina, attributable to oxidative stress .


Vitamin A plays a vital role in maintaining your body’s natural defenses.

This includes the mucous barriers in your eyes, lungs, gut and genitals which help trap bacteria and other infectious agents.

It’s also involved in the production and function of white blood cells, which help capture and clear bacteria and other pathogens from your bloodstream.

This means that a deficiency in vitamin A can increase your susceptibility to infections and delay your recovery when you get sick .

Having enough vitamin A in your diet helps keep your immune system healthy and function at its best.

 Reduces Your Risk of Acne

Acne is a chronic, inflammatory skin disorder.

People with this condition develop painful spots and blackheads, most commonly on the face, back and chest.

These spots occur when the sebaceous glands get clogged up with dead skin and oils. These glands are found in the hair follicles on your skin and produce sebum, an oily, waxy substance that keeps your skin lubricated and waterproof.

Though the spots are physically harmless, acne may have a serious effect on people's mental health and lead to low self-esteem, anxiety and depression .

The exact role that vitamin A plays in the development and treatment of acne remains unclear .

It has been suggested that vitamin A deficiency may increase your risk of developing acne, as it causes an overproduction of the protein keratin in your hair follicles .

This would increase your risk of acne by making it more difficult for dead skin cells to be removed from hair follicles, leading to blockages.

Some vitamin-A-based medications for acne are now available with a prescription.

Isotretinoin is one example of an oral retinoid that is effective in treating severe acne. However, this medication can have serious side effects and must only be taken under medical supervision

Supports Bone Health

The key nutrients needed for maintaining healthy bones as you age are protein, calcium and vitamin D.

However, eating enough vitamin A is also necessary for proper bone growth and development, and a deficiency in this vitamin has been linked to poor bone health.

In fact, people with lower blood levels of vitamin A are at a higher risk of bone fractures than people with healthy levels .


Topical and prescription retinoids

Vitamin A is added to many cosmetic products, such as moisturizers, sunscreen, vitamin-infused oils, and anti-aging creams. It can also be found as a serum and as an oil. Some vitamin A supplements come in the form of capsules that can be broken open and applied directly to skin.

Applied topically, vitamin A can be beneficial for certain skin conditions:

Acne. Topical retinoids are available via prescription and as over-the-counter formulations. Retinoids are considered effective for treating and controlling acne. Retinoids have anti-inflammatory propertiesTrusted Source. They also help to regulate the sloughing off of skin cells, reducing the occurrence of clogged pores.

Fine lines. Topical retinoids stimulate collagen production, making them effective at reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. They can also help to even out skin tone by fading age spots.

Prescription retinoids are much stronger than over-the-counter versions and may be more effective for certain skin conditions. Product names include Retin-A (tretin
Vitamin A has two forms: retinoids and carotenoids. Both forms are readily available in a wide range of healthy foods, and eating foods containing vitamin A is considered the best way to get it in to your system.

Retinoids are also beneficial for acne and photoaging when applied topically to skin. Retinoids can have side effects when not used properly or used to excess.