Vitamin A or ( Retinoic Acid, Retinol ). diseases caused by vitamin A deficiency and sources of vitamin A.
If you want a disease free life, then eat Vitamin A rich food daily.
Vitamin A was discovered in 1913 by Elmer V. and Marguerite Davis. It is a fat soluble vitamin. We get this vitamin through food. It is found in different forms in food such as Retinol, Dehydroretinol or Carotenoids.
Vitamin A deficiency occurs when the body does not get enough vitamin A, an essential nutrient for vision, immune function, and the health of skin and mucous membranes. We need a lot of vitamins to keep the body healthy. Vitamins are essential supporting elements for proper nutrition of the body. After the discovery of vitamins in the modern era, their prevalence is increasing rapidly. All the vitamins that medical scientists have discovered so far. They are all dependent on each other. Vitamins are found in large quantities in our food. which give new vitality to our body. By.. using them our body gets relief from many diseases. Due to their deficiency, our body suffers from many diseases. Today we are giving you information about Vitamin A!
Diseases caused by deficiency of Vitamin A in the body.
• Eye disorders: Night blindness (not being able to see at night), blurred vision, blindness, drying up of tears in the eyes. Due to deficiency of Vitamin A, the patient is unable to tolerate bright light.
• Progression to xerophthalmia (dryness and damage of the eye), Bitot’s spots, and potentially irreversible blindness if untreated.
• Decrease in immunity in the body, decrease in body weight, decrease in working capacity and lack of tiredness all the time.
• Loss of appetite, intestinal disorders, gas formation.
• Pneumonia, cold, cough, fever, catarrh, bronchitis, dry cough.
• Skin diseases, drying of the skin, swelling on the skin, thickening of the skin, drying of the skin and turning into husk, wounds, boils, dangerous poisonous wounds like carbuncle, pimples, freckles, spots on the face, lips burst.
• Nerve weakness, weakness of the vascular system, deafness, reduction in milk in the breasts.
• All the disorders before the start of menstruation in women, vaginitis in old age, swelling of vagina and shrinkage of ovaries.
• Weakness of children, late teething, foamy diarrhoea.
• Bladder stones, urine infection, kidney disease.
• Heart weakness.
• Cancer.
• Hair fall, baldness, roughness in hair.
• Vitamin A deficiency causes early ageing.
• The testicles of the man shrink.
• Due to deficiency of Vitamin A, teeth become weak and cavities develop.
• The tongue becomes yellow.
• Vitamin A deficiency has a bad effect on the eighth nerve of the brain.
• Due to deficiency of Vitamin A, nails start breaking easily.
Sources of Vitamin A
• Vegetables:- Spinach, coriander, cabbage, fresh mint, green fenugreek, radish leaves, carrot, cucumber, sweet potato, beetroot, tomato, mustard greens etc.
• Fruits:- papaya, mango, cashew, banana, seasonal fruits, pear and fresh fruits etc.
• Vegetarian:- Milk, butter, ghee, cream, millet, soybean, hand-pounded rice etc.
• Non-vegetarian:- Fish, goat liver, egg yolk etc.
• Fish oil, halibut liver oil, shark liver oil etc.
To avoid diseases, you must include Vitamin A rich food in required quantity in your daily diet.
Some important facts about Vitamin A
• The chemical name of Vitamin A is Retinol.
• Lakhs of people in our country have lost their eyesight due to deficiency of Vitamin A.
• When the body is surrounded by infectious diseases, there is a great need for Vitamin A.
• Vitamin A gives immunity to the body.
• Young children are in great need of Vitamin A.
• Fish oil contains the highest amount of Vitamin A.
• Vitamin A is found in abundance in green vegetables.
• Vitamin A is not soluble in water.
• Vitamin A dissolves in oils and fats.
• Vitamin A keeps arteries and veins soft.
• Women need more Vitamin A during pregnancy.
At-Risk Groups
• Children under five years old
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women
• People with malabsorption disorders
• Populations in low-income countries, especially in Africa and South-East Asia.
Public Health Impact
Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable childhood blindness worldwide, causing up to 500,000 cases of blindness annually, with high mortality rates among affected children. It remains a significant public health issue in many developing regions.
Daily requirement – The daily requirement of Vitamin A is 3000-5000 IU