All information about Vitamin A (Retinol)

Vitamin A is especially important for good vision, healthy cell growth and skin renewal. The precursor to vitamin A is beta-carotene (provitamin A). Therefore, it is also important to consume foods that contain beta-carotene. From this, the body “builds” vitamin A. Many fruits and vegetables are rich in beta-carotene. These include carrots, oranges, spinach, or broccoli. Kale also contains beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A in the body only when needed by the body. Vitamin A suppliers are fish, eggs (egg yolks), dairy products (the vitamin is in the fats of the milk), liver.

The requirement is given as 0.8 to 1.0 mg / day. The actual need for vitamin A depends on age, circumstances and gender. Men have a slightly higher need for retinol than women. Vitamin A is sensitive to light and heat, so it is important to ensure that foods containing retinol are kept as dark and cool as possible. Also, the cooking times should be kept as short as possible so that the vitamin is destroyed as little as possible. Of course, it is not possible without loss.

A lack of retinol is relatively quickly noticeable and should be treated unconditionally. Depending on the duration of the hypovitaminosis, serious damage can occur, affecting not only the eyesight but also the nerves, skin and hair. Hair loss, dry skin, dry eyes, loss or vision loss, night blindness, photosensitivity, iron deficiency, fatigue, growth disorders, risk of arteriosclerotic heart disease, but also increased susceptibility to infection are the most common complaints with vitamin A deficiency.

However, the cause is not necessarily that you take too little of this vitamin, but rather other circumstances that “worry” that the body can absorb and utilize retinol only poorly. These include stress, surgery, inflammation, but also environmental toxins, alcohol, too much sunshine, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, but also some drugs affect the absorption of retinol, or prevent the body to convert beta-carotene into vitamin A. Such drugs include laxatives, cholesterol lowering drugs, some sleep aids.
Vitamin A is included in most nutritional supplements, but Retinol is needed for the treatment of deficiency symptoms, the preparations are not only prescription, they are also administered only under medical supervision, as an overdose can not be excluded.

In the case of an overdose of vitamin A, the following symptoms usually occur: vomiting, diarrhea, headache, increased intracranial pressure. Osteoporosis can also be caused by over-supply of retinol. Other consequences include enlargement of the liver and spleen, as well as painful growths on the periosteum. These serious illnesses occur at a dose of 15mg / day. But already half of this dose can be dangerous. Free vitamin A is toxic, meaning it’s pure poison for the body. If the over-supply over several years, the poisoning can end fatally. Especially in the liver, free vitamin A has a toxic effect. An oversupply during pregnancy leads to severe malformations of the fetus. Here the lower limit is already given as 3mg / day.

For vitamin A to be used by the body, it needs a protein called RBP (retinol-binding protein). This protein binds excess retinol in the body. If this metabolism is disturbed, it can lead to an oversupply, but also to a vitamin A deficiency.

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