Eating carrots will enhance your night vision, but that’s just half the reality. The principal component in carrots, beta-carotene (which gives this root vegetable its distinctive orange color), is a precursor to vitamin A and helps your eyes adjust in low-light circumstances. Although vitamin A cannot give you superhuman night vision or cure your reliance on contact lenses, eating correctly will help your eye health. Vitamin A also promotes the generation and activity of white blood cells, aids in bone remodeling, promotes the health of endothelial cells (those that line the body’s internal surfaces), and governs the process of cell development and division, which is essential for the process of reproduction.
Preformed vitamin A (retinol, retinyl esters) and provitamin A carotenoids such as alpha-carotene and beta-carotene that are converted to retinol are the two primary forms of vitamin A in the human diet. Animal products, fortified foods, and vitamin supplements contain preformed vitamin A. Carotenoids are naturally found in plant diets. Lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin are examples of carotenoids contained in diet that are not converted to vitamin A yet have health-promoting characteristics. This vitamin serves a variety of functions. Vitamin A is beneficial for fetal growth and development and beyond, as well as:
- It helps the immune system function
Vitamin A supports white blood cells and the mucus membranes in your lungs, intestines, and urinary tract, which enhances your immune system. This aids in the defense against infection and toxins (also known as free radicals), which cause inflammation and disease. It has been demonstrated that giving vitamin A supplements to children with measles reduces the severity of the disease. In other words, vitamin A can occasionally save lives.
- Maintains skin clarity
Many believe vitamin A can heal acne and age-related skin changes, including wrinkles and age spots. However, whether you add vitamin A-rich foods to your diet or use vitamin A-based skin treatments like pills or lotions, it’s vital to use vitamin A for skin health with caution. A lack of vitamin A can cause clogged sweat glands, increasing your chances of developing acne. Too much vitamin A (hypervitaminosis) can discolor and dry out your skin. Prescription retinol has been demonstrated to aid with acne, but additional research is needed to determine whether non-prescription versions can also help. Retinol treatments can also make your skin extremely sun sensitive. Consult a healthcare expert or a dermatologist about the best skin care for your skin type.
- Maintains good vision
One of the most crucial functions of vitamin A is to retain and maintain your vision. It aids in converting the light that strikes your eye into an electrical signal that may be transmitted to your brain. Vitamin A is also used by your body to create pigments for your retinas and moisture for your corneas. Night blindness (nyctalopia) is an early indication of vitamin A deficiency that can lead to permanent vision loss if left untreated. Vitamin A-rich foods may lower your chance of cataracts or age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Vitamin A can even reverse some visual loss.