Vitamin Month - Vitamin A

I thought I'd devote a whole month to talking about different vitamins, so I am hereby dubbing July, VITAMIN MONTH! All month, we'll talk about the different vitamins, what they do and where to find them. Just a little FYI about vitamins, they are absorbed into the body two different ways. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water and are absorbed by the body, while fat-soluble vitamins are dissolved in fatty acids before being absorbed. If you take vitamin supplements, make sure you read the directions. If your vitamins say "take with food," they are fat-soluble and must be taken in conjunction with fat to be absorbed. If you take them with only a glass of water or a fat-free food, then they'll be wasted because your body won't absorb them and you won't be reaping any benefits.

Ok, the first vitamin of Vitamin Month will be Vitamin A. (Might as well start at the beginning of the alphabet, right?)

VITAMIN A

* Fat-soluble

* Vitamin A is derived from two sources in food. Retinol, which is essential to the functioning the the retina in the eye. Retinol is important for low-light and color vision. As a matter of fact, long-term Vitamin A deficiency can cause blindness. Carotenes, like beta-carotene, also provide Vitamin A, because separate enzymes in the body convert the carotenes into retinol.

* The recommended daily intake of Vitamin A for adults is 700mg/day for women and 900mg/day for men.

* Vitamin A plays a role in a variety of functions in the body. Besides vision, it's needed for gene transcription, immune function, embryonic development and reproduction, skin and cellular health, bone metabolism and antioxidant activity.

* Vitamin A deficiency is rare in developed nations, however in developing nations, it's quite prevalent, especially among children. Approximately 1/3 of children under the age of 5 in these nations suffer from a Vitamin A deficiency and it's estimated that it's responsible for the deaths of 670,000 children under 5 each year, with another 250,000-500,000 struck with blindness. Vitamin A deficiency is most prevalent in Southeast Asia and Africa.

* Excessive amounts if Vitamin A can lead to toxicity, and can cause nausea, irritability, anorexia, vomiting, blurry vision, muscle and abdominal pain, headaches and hair loss.

Best sources for Vitamin A:

Liver, carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, butter, kale, spinach, pumpkin, cantaloupe, cheddar cheese, eggs, apricots, collard greens, papaya, mango, peas and milk.