Topical vitamin A has great benefits for skin care, but increasing your intake of vitamin A in your diet can also improve the health of your skin and your body as a whole. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin found in many foods that our body does not produce itself. It has been shown to support healthy vision, immune health, reproduction, growth and development. It also helps our organs to function properly, including the lungs, kidneys, skin and heart.
FORMS OF VITAMIN A
Vitamin A comes in two forms:
preformed vitamin A – including retinol – is the active form of the vitamin, which means that it is easily absorbed by the human body. It is found mainly in animal products.
Provitamin A – including beta-carotenes – is the inactive form, which means that the body must convert it to retinol before it can be absorbed into the system. It is found mainly in red, yellow and slightly green fruits and vegetables.
Both types are available in the form of supplements, but research shows that vitamin A is best absorbed through whole foods.
FOODS RICH IN RETINOL
Retinol is the active form of vitamin A (which means that your body does not need to be converted to another form to use it) good sources of vitamin A from retinol come from:
Liver
Oily fish – such as tuna, herring, king mackerel and cod liver oil
Milk
Cheese-including goat’s cheese, which often contains more vitamin A than cow’s cheese
Egg
FOODS RICH IN CAROTENOIDS
Carotenoids are the antioxidant form of vitamin A found in plant foods. The body converts them into retinol if necessary. Foods rich in carotenoids often have an orange color. The most famous carotenoid is beta-carotene, and foods rich in this preparation often have a dark green color.
Good sources of vitamin A from carotenoids are:
Squash
Carrot
Squash
Mango
Sweet potato
Apricot
Red Peppers
Cantaloupe
Papaya
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Good sources of vitamin A from beta-carotene include:
Broccoli
Spinach
Green cabbages
Black-eyed Peas
Necklace
Kohlrabi
Swiss chard
While vitamin A supplements are available over the counter, research suggests that most people are able to consume all the vitamins they need via whole foods, especially since vitamin A toxicity is possible by taking too much vitamin A preformed in supplement form. Although sufficient dietary intake of vitamin A has been shown to preserve bone health, research shows that excess vitamin A in the body may be associated with an increased peril of osteoporosis.
On the other hand, no amount of beta-carotenes is toxic to the human body, since the body converts them into vitamin A only if necessary. So load up all the leafy vegetables you like! A diet rich in vitamin A has many benefits for the skin, internal organs, the immune system and eyesight. Adding vitamin A-rich foods to your food planning can improve your health inside and out.