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VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY

Men's Health, Women's Health / By

VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY

  • Vitamin A is stored in fat tissues and the liver.
  • It is a fat-soluble vitamin.
  • From fish, meat, fruits to vegetables Vitamin A is found in a good amount.
  • However, if a human body runs short on this vitamin it causes vitamin A deficiency with troubling symptoms.

CAUSES

One main cause of Vitamin A deficiency is no proper intake of the vitamin to fulfill body needs. The other is malnutrition.  Countries that do not have access to good food are prone to vitamin A deficiency, but certain people are more at risk, such as:

  1. Children – countries where chronic diarrhea is common.
  2. Infants – who don’t regularly consume milk.
  3. Lactating women
  4. Pregnant women
  5. People having intestinal cancer (celiac and inflammatory bowel syndrome)
  6. Liver disease
  7. Alcoholism
  8. People who have issues with absorbing fat.
  9. People having less appetite due to a disorder.

These issues can lead to vitamin A deficiency.

SYMPTOMS

Some problematic symptoms of vitamin A deficiency are:

    1. Night blindness (which can lead to xerophthalmia
    2. Rashes on skin
    3. Dry eye
    4. Difficulty getting pregnant – as vitamin helps in reproduction.
    5. Severity of illness
    6. White spots in the eye
    7. The Wound takes longer to heal
    8. Increased level of infections; flu, measles, cholera – vitamin A plays a role in immunity, without it one is exposed to the germs.
    9. Stunted Growth – vitamin A aids in the growth

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

A blood test is run to find out vitamin A deficiency. The normal amount of Vitamin A is 15 to 60 mcg/dL (micrograms per deciliter)  Treating vitamin A deficiency in time will prevent long-term consequences. According to Ashley Reaver, there are two ways of treating the deficiency.

  1. Consuming a high dose of Prescribed vitamin A.
  2. Increasing intake of Vitamin A rich foods.

    Taking vitamin A rich food is the first action. The prescribed vitamin A doses depend on the severity of symptoms.

Foods High in Vitamin A

Plants sources:
  1. Sweet potatoes
  2. Carrots
  3. Eggs
  4. Boiled spinach
  5. Raw mango
  6. Cottage cheese
  7. Pumpkin
Animal sources:
  1. Ricotta cheese
  2. Beef liver
  3. Hard-boiled egg
  4. Fat-free or skim milk with vitamin A added.
  5. Atlantic herring

Forms of Vitamin A in Human Diet

Vitamin A is present in two forms:

  1. Retinol – a preformed vitamin A is received from animal sources such as dairy, meat, fish.
  2. Provitamin A Carotenoids (such as beta carotene) – the body converts them into useable forms of vitamin A since they are not present naturally in that form.
Supplements:
  • As discussed above vitamin A has two forms.
  • If one is not receiving enough vitamin A from their diet, only then a doctor recommends these supplements.
  • They can be either preformed vitamin A or in forms like beta carotene etc.