The Vitamin A Effect

These next few posts are going to cover some of the major vitamins and minerals our body uses. It might seem boring, and at times redundant, but vitamins and minerals are some of the most fascinating things you can study! It’s amazing to me how just a few micrograms of something can make a noticeable difference both physically and mentally.

Now that I’ve explained my geeky love for vitamins, let’s talk about Vitamin A. There are two main forms of Vitamin A: retinoids and carotenoids—both are fat-soluble, meaning that to absorb it properly, you need to eat at least a little bit of fat at some point during the day. Which the vast majority of the population does. The difference between the two types is simple. Retinoids are the active form of Vitamin A, meaning the body can immediately utilize them once consumed. Carotenoids, on the other hand, are the inactive form of Vitamin A, meaning the body needs to do some extra processing to make them useful. It’s like the difference between having puzzle pieces and a complete puzzle. With the pieces, you have everything you need to make a puzzle, but it requires some effort to put it together. With a complete puzzle, you have the opportunity to immediately look at it and use it as you wish. Not that there are a vast number of things you can do with a completed puzzle. But hopefully you get the metaphor. Or I guess it’s a simile since I used the word ‘like’. Either way, the comparison remains the same.

With this slight difference of usage comes another difference between retinoids and carotenoids: the food sources in which they are found. Retinoids are found mainly in animal products like dairy, egg yolks, and organ meats (like liver…but who actually likes liver?). Carotenoids, on the other hand, come from bright colored vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, sweet potatoes and spinach. On a side note, you know how Popeye eats spinach and becomes super strong? That is totally true! Spinach has almost every single vitamin and mineral you need.

Back to the topic at hand, most people get their Vitamin A in the form of carotenoids. The precursor is then stored in the liver until the body needs it. This is why it’s important to eat a little bit of fat everyday…to make sure that when your body needs Vitamin A, it can produce it.

But why does your body need Vitamin A? Most people know one important function: vision. When I was little, my mom used to tell me that if I didn’t eat my carrots that I wouldn’t be able to see anymore. Most of my friends have heard similar things from their parents. And this is true. Vitamin A does help with vision; hence why ‘retinol’ and ‘retina’ are so close in sound and spelling.

However, Vitamin A has other functions: it makes sure your organs don’t dry out and can move about in their cavities, creates antibodies for your immune system, and plays a crucial role in the development of a fetus. Vitamin A also acts as an antioxidant, which gets rid of rogue compounds in the body, and plays a role in bone health.

As you can see, Vitamin A is super important! I know I say this about every nutrient I talk about, but every nutrient I talk about is important, so…I will probably continue to say it. If you already consume a couple of dairy products and a bright colored vegetable per day, you are doing great! Keep it up! You are getting the Vitamin A that you need. The FDA recommends 700 micrograms per day for females, and 900 micrograms per day for males. That’s it. You probably would barely even see that if you put it on a scale. Yet it has all of these important functions! And that is why I love nutrition so much. A little bit can go a long way.