"Vitamin A"

Today let's discover just how important "vitamin A" is to the body.

"Vitamin A" is important for normal vision, the immune system and reproduction. It also helps the heart, lungs and kidneys work properly.

"Vitamin A" is a micronutrient that is crucial for maintaining vision and protecting us from night blindness. It protects us from age-related decline, promotes growth and development, supports bone health and protects epithelium and "mucus" integrity in the body. (This is a point to remember)

And it's known as an "anti-inflammatory" vitamin because of its critical role in enhancing immune function such as with skin disorders like acne vulgaris, broncho-pulmonary dysplasia and some forms of precancerous and cancer states.

Vitamin A is able to regulate both innate and adaptive arms of the immune response.

So how can we become deficient you ask???

Well . . . this deficiency can be a result from inadequate intake of vitamin A, fat malabsorption or a liver disorder.

And some symptoms would be . . .

Dry skin, dry eyes, night blindness, infertility and/or trouble conceiving, delayed growth, throat and chest infections, poor wound healing and acne with breakouts.

And most important because we've been talking about how to protect ourselves from viruses . . . When "vitamin A" is low in the body . . . the body has a greater chance of allowing a virus to "replicate itself" especially with the Covid-19.

You see . . . vitamin A helps keep "mucus" membranes that line the nose, sinuses and mouth healthy. And as we know . . . the Covid-19 is a respiratory virus that enters the body through the nose and/or mouth.

So we need a good line of defense to protect us from this virus. Okay . . . so let's talk about what are the best food sources of "vitamin A" to accomplish that mission.

Well . . . that would be carrots of course. Carrots are a great source of important vitamins and minerals. And just a half a cup can give you up to 73% of your daily requirement of "vitamin A".

Other sources are eggs, meat, fortified milk, cheese, cream, liver, kidney, cod, halibut, broccoli, cantaloupe and squash.

But . . . if you choose to get your vitamin A in supplement form . . . supplementation may cause the immune system to "forget" past infections.

You see . . . new research suggests that supplementation of vitamin A "inhibits" trained immunity, leading to tolerance of the innate immune cells upon stimulation with mitogens and antigens.

Another issue is . . . too much "vitamin A" can be harmful. Acute toxicity from "vitamin A" can occur in an amount of 25,000+ IU per day and "vitamin A" toxicity may cause symptoms such as liver damage, vision disturbances, nausea and even death.

So what's the best way to consume vitamin A????

Well . . . that would be in the organic food we eat.

So tomorrow, we talk about "C"

As always, feel free to contact me here