Vitamin A

When you hear vitamin A, you probably think about orange foods like carrots and sweet potatoes. Vitamin A is actually present in a number of nutrient rich ingredients ranging in color from red, orange, yellow and even green. Some ingredients with a lot of vitamin A include liver, carrot juice, sweet potato, butternut squash, collard greens, pumpkin, bluefin tuna, swiss chard, broccoli rabe, boo toy and kale. Vitamin A is a powerful fat soluble antioxidant that can support durability of skin, night vision and immune support. A common sign of deficiency in vitamin A is poor night vision or frequent viral infections. Read more about this powerful nutrient to boost your anti-inflammatory efforts.

Vitamin A

Micronutrient Role
Fat Soluble
Vision
Regulation of gene expression
Immunity
Growth and Development
Organ formation (as well as vision, eye development, immune function) in fetus
Red Blood Cell production
Bone Formation
Skin Repair – cell binding, acne
Anti-inflammatory
Antioxidant
Anti-carcinogenic
Immune support
Needed for many cell receptor sites used for other nutrients (like Vit D, Steroid Hormones, Thyroid Hormones)
Prenatal and Postnatal development

Signs of Deficiency
Poor
vision, night blindness
Prone to infectious diseases -i.e. diarrhea
Respiratory disease

Taking Too Much Vitamin A Can Lead to Toxicity

Can be caused by:
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Fat malabsorption
Overconsumption of preformed Vitamin A can be toxic especially during pregnancy (leads to birth defects)
Nausea
Headache
Fatigue
Loss of Appetite
Dizziness
Dry Skin
Cerebral Edema
Increased risk of Osteoporosis

Disease Prevention/Treatment
Cancer
Retinitis Pigmentosa
Acute Promyelocytic
Leukemia
Skin diseases
Macular degeneration
Digestive – gluten sensitivity, autoimmune responses
Thyroid disorders
Measles
Bronchopulmonary
Dysplasia in preterm babies
Childhood Mortality
Lung Cancer

Nutrient Interaction
Zinc – deficiency inhibits Vit A metabolism
Iron – deficiency can follow Vitamin A deficiency, Vitamin A can help Iron deficient anemia (supplementation together works best for anemia)
Vitamin K- Large doses of Vit A can inhibit absorption of Vit K

Drug interactions
Oral contraceptives
Aspirin
Bile Acid
Sequestrates
Glucorticoids
Methotrexate
Isotretinoin

Nutrient interactions
Chronic alcohol consumption

Recommended Foods
*must eat foods coupled with fat – saturated fat
carrots orange or red colored foods
mango, apricots, peaches, cantaloupe
avocado, squash, broccoli
fish, meat, eggs, cheese, Cod Liver Oil, Butter, Diary
Animal Products- retinol
Plant Foods- A Carotenoids