Vitamin A

STRENGTH: 10,000 IU
FORM: 100 Softgels

Benefits

  • It is necessary for new cell growth.
  • It helps fight infection.
  • It promotes growth and repairs of body tissues, bone formation and healthy skin, hair and mucus membranes.
  • It helps in the maintenance of good eyesight and is essential for night vision.
  • It helps during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
  • It helps maintain strong bones and teeth.
  • It helps to keep the lungs healthy.
  • It ensures proper kidney function.
  • It is used to treat acne, eczema and gastric ulcers.
  • It helps prevent the development of cancer.
  • It is used to treat psoriasis.

Vitamin A is an essential anti-oxidant nutrient that plays an important role in the healthy function of many bodily systems. It is a fat soluble vitamin known by several names, the most popular being Retinol. It is usually found in supplements as Retinyl Palmitate.

Vitamin A is manufactured by extraction from fish-liver oil for supplements, but is ordinarily found in foods such as butter, cheese, cream, eggs, lamb, liver and milk. Vitamin A is also formed from provitamin-A (beta carotene) found in carrots, broccoli, spinach and other vegetables. Vitamin A is necessary for the growth and repair of every tissue in our bodies, and is even more important in maintaining the health of your eyes and skin. It helps fight infections in general and is essential for maintaining a healthy mucous membrane lining in the stomach, intestines and sinuses.

Many people in the U.S. are deficient (sub-clinical) in this nutrient but are not even aware of it. Depleted stores in the body are usually prevalent in those who eat highly processed foods on a regular basis and use oil that is also nutrient depleted. Since most fat soluble vitamins come from food and if these foods are nutrient depleted, then over time symptoms of depletion will begin to arise. Signs of deficiency may include: insomnia, depression, night blindness, increased susceptibility to infections, fatigue, loss of smell and appetite, rough, dry, scaly skin, dull lusterless hair; brittle nails and inflamed membranes in the eyes, infections of the lungs and air passages.

Vitamin A can be destroyed by oxidation particularly in the presence of iron and copper, and by exposure to high temperatures and light. So unless you take great care in making sure you buy foods that are very fresh and have not been highly processed, you might want to consider buying a Vitamin A supplement. Over the long haul it is better to be safe than sorry.†

    REFERENCES:

  1. Ross AC. Vitamin A and retinoids. In: Shils M, ed. Nutrition in Health and Disease. 9th ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1999:305-327.
  2. Semba RD. The role of vitamin A and related retinoids in immune function. Nutr Rev. 1998; 56(1 Pt 2):S38-48.
  3. McCullough, F. et al. The effect of vitamin A on epithelial integrity. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 1999; volume 58: pages 289-293.
  4. Lynch SR. Interaction of iron with other nutrients. Nutr Rev. 1997; 55(4):102-110.
  5. Omenn GS, Goodman GE, Thornquist MD, et al. Effects of a combination of beta carotene and vitamin A on lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. N Engl J Med. 1996; 334(18):1150-1155.
  6. Comstock GW, Helzlsouer KJ. Preventive nutrition and lung cancer. In: Bendich A, Decklebaum RJ, eds. Preventive Nutrition: The Comprehensive Guide for Health Professionals. 2nd ed. Totowa: Humana Press Inc; 2001:97-129.

†These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.