A group of fat-soluble compounds is collectively called Vitamin A. Vitamin A offers many benefits as a vital nutrient for health: improved vision, strong immunity, and healthy organ growth. You can easily avail benefits of Vitamin A by eating several animal and plant foods rich in Vitamin A. Let’s look at the significant benefits of Vitamin A, and the list of foods rich in it. Don’t miss out on reading the side effects too, as you must be careful about what you give to your body, and how much?
Health Benefits of Vitamin A
1. Good for eyes
Your eyes are your mind’s gateways to the world. Thus, having good eye health must be your health priority. Vitamin A helps you with that. Vitamin A deficiency manifests as night blindness and gradual degeneration of vision. The latter happens as you grow older. To avoid these issues, you must ensure a consistent intake of Vitamin A.
2. Prevents Cancer
As Vitamin A promotes healthy growth and development of your body cells, it is indicative of cancer-prevention benefits. Some studies have linked high vitamin A consumption to a reduced risk of cancers like cervical, lung, and bladder cancers.
3. Builds immunity
Having adequate amounts of Vitamin A strengthens your immune system. Vitamin A cements sufficient strength into your body’s natural bodyguards: the mucous lining in your gut, genitals, nose, and eyes. Additionally, Vitamin A plays an important role in the production of white blood cells: the natural bacteria killers in your body. Thus, to prevent your body from becoming vulnerable to infections, and developing a weak recovery system, take Vitamin A!
4. Reduces acne
Acne is an inflammatory skin infection that can be stubborn and difficult to recover from in a short time. It also affects a person’s self-esteem and causes stress. If your skin is well-nourished with Vitamin A, keratin overproduction that leads to pore blockage is avoided.
5. Promotes reproductive health
Reproductive health is an important health concern for both men and women. Vitamin A takes care of some vital aspects of it. For women, it ensures the proper growth of embryos during pregnancy. But, it should be taken only under medical supervision and in modest amounts. Overconsumption can lead to defects in the embryo’s
development. For men, vitamin A deficiency can cause infertility. Therefore, a balanced intake is necessary.
Foods Rich In Vitamin A
What are the foods that can help you with Vitamin A intake?
1. Beef Liver
Animal livers are replete with Vitamin A. Beef liver is high in protein too. Apart from this option of animal liver, you can also choose lamb liver or lamb sausage for vitamin A consumption.
2. Sweet Potato
Sweet Potato is full of benefits of Vitamin A. It contains vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene: a compound that has the potential to protect you against AMD ( age-related macular degeneration). Additionally, sweet potatoes are low-calorie, fiber-rich, and full of potassium, Vitamins B6, and Vitamin C. Also, read about the health benefits of sweet potato that makes it a superfood.
3. Carrots
It’s a popular myth that eating a carrot a day helps you see clearly in the dark. Scientifically, carrots are good for maintaining eye health as they are rich in Vitamin A. But, they do not perform the job of contact lenses. You can eat them as eye maintenance food or drink them as juice. Not just for the eyes, here are all the amazing benefits of carrot juice for overall health.
4. Black-Eyed Peas
Black-Eyed Peas are a rich source of iron, fiber, protein, and Vitamin C. You must eat them to fulfill a number of your nutrient requirements.
5. Cod Liver Oil
Both fish and fish liver, are nutrient-dense food. Cod liver oil offers benefits of Vitamin A and vitamin D.
6. Green And Leafy Vegetables
You must have heard often that all the greens are full of vitamin A. Spinach and broccoli are definitely on that list. Along with the benefits of vitamin A, spinach supports heart health and low blood pressure. Broccoli is rich in vitamins A, C, and K. It is also associated with cancer-preventive benefits.
7. Mango
This juicy fruit contains vitamin A, antioxidants, and fiber. With mango intake, you can give your palate a delicious treat while enjoying so many health benefits in the long run!
Side-Effects of Vitamin A:
As they say, excessive consumption of anything, however nutritious, is bad. Vitamin A is not an exception either. While it offers you various health benefits, overconsuming it can be risky for you. Let’s look at some of those side effects:
● A vitamin A overdose can cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, vertigo, and blurry vision. This mostly happens in the case of vitamin supplements, or medication overdose.
● Animal food like liver, which is rich in Vitamin A can cause toxicity as one serving of it contains high amounts of Vitamin A. The toxicity lasts for a short time in case of a one-time overdose and longer when there is a chronic overdose.
● Toxicity can cause skin irritation, confusion, hair loss, headache, dry skin, liver damage, and reduced appetite, among other side effects.
● Negative impact on fetal development in case of overdose or unsupervised consumption.
Vitamin A: Ideal Dose & Quantity
For women, the ideal Vitamin A consumption amounts to 900 mcg per day. And, for men, it is 700 mcg.
The Bottom Line
Vitamin A offers you a slew of health benefits. The top ones include eye health, reproductive health, and strong immunity. There is a wide variety of plant and animal-based food that you can consume for a balanced Vitamin A intake. Just like it’s important to keep vitamin A deficiency at bay, it’s equally important to avoid a Vitamin A overdose. Excessive consumption can lead to toxicity; whether acute or chronic, toxicity has several side effects. Therefore, keep yourself nourished with vitamin A while also being careful of all pitfalls.