Vitamin A: How To Use It For Your Benefit
There are mainly two forms of vitamin A in our diet, preformed vitamin A and provitamin A.
There is also non-provitamin A that has the same structure as provitamin A but cannot turn into vitamin A.
Vitamin A belongs to the family of fat-soluble vitamins.
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Benefits Of Vitamin A
Vitamin A helps your vision, immune, and reproductive systems.
It is essential to bone growth and tooth development.
It also keeps your heart, lungs, and kidneys working properly.
Sufficient vitamin A during pregnancy and early childhood are vital to a baby’s development.
Vitamin A and vitamin D have a synergistic relationship that can work together or against each other in balancing the scales of your health.
Deficiency Of Vitamin A
Vitamin A deficiency increases vulnerability to a range of illnesses, like diarrhea, measles, and respiratory infections.
These are the leading causes of mortality ◳ among children in low and middle-income countries.
There are different forms of vitamin A, and they are not equally beneficial.
Out Vitamin A Categories
Preformed vitamin A
Preformed vitamin A comes from animal products. It is also the form of vitamin A you find in fortified foods and vitamin supplements.
Read more about preformed vitamin A and what kind of vitamins belongs in that category: Preformed Vitamin A: How To Use It For Your Benefit
Provitamin A carotenoids
The body can make vitamin A from select members of the carotenoid family.
Eating carotenoids with fat has been shown to increase both the absorption and synthesis of vitamin A.
Beta-carotene is believed the most important provitamin A carotenoid.
Read more about provitamin A and what kind of vitamins belongs in that category: Provitamin A: How To Use It For Your Benefit
Non-provitamin A
Non-provitamin A is a class of carotenoids that have no vitamin A activity and cannot convert to retinol.
Read more about non-provitamin A and what kind of vitamins belongs in that category: Non-Provitamin A: How To Use It For Your Benefit