Vitamin A, Retinol and Beta Carotene: The Eye
Vitamins
As a child, you were always told to finish your
vegetables, especially those orange colored crunchy things that
they call carrots. Your mom said that it is good for your eyes and
if you don’t eat them, you can go blind early. So believing your
mom, and not wanting to go blind, you eat as many carrots as you
can.
What is it in carrots and in most yellow/orange
vegetables that is supposedly essential for good eyesight? It is
called Vitamin A. Vitamin A actually pertains to a group of
compounds which are referred to as retinoids. The term retinoids
came about because of the function of Vitamin A is related to the
retina of the eye. And the most commonly found retinoid is retinol.
In carrots, it is the orange colored pigment known as Beta
Carotene – see the similarities in names again?
Vitamin A, Retinol and/or Beta Carotene are
vital for several functions to be performed in the body.
Primarily, it is needed to keep the vision healthy. In fact,
studies have shown that a deficiency of this vitamin can cause
night blindness since it targets the retina of the eye, which is
responsible for the processing and sending of images to the brain.
It uses rhodopsin, which is a pigment responsible for seeing black
and white colors, including the ability to see at night.
Vitamin A is also used for gene transcription.
The reproductive system as well as the development of an embryo
during pregnancy needs Vitamin A to be able to follow through with
their processes. It is also seen to play a role in keeping the
body safe from disease through the immune functions. The metabolic
processes in the bone, including the development and production of
blood cells need vitamin A to do their job well. The skin also
uses retinol for its maintenance.
Beta Carotene has also been found to lower the
risk of having cancer as well as cardiovascular diseases because
of its antioxidant activity, which is responsible in keeping those
toxic substances from entering and harming the body.
When the body is found to be deficient in
Vitamin A, it is manifested usually by its inability to see in the
dark. If the deficiency persists, it can lead to conjunctival
drying, until the surfaces of the eyes are replaced by thick
keratinized epithelium and this ends in total blindness.
Knowing the importance of Vitamin A, Retinol
and Beta Carotene in the body, it is quite imperative that the
body be given adequate amounts of it. Vitamin A can be obtained in
a variety of foods aside from carrots. It is present in high
amounts in liver, broccoli leaves, sweet potatoes, spinach and
other leafy vegetables, pumpkins, and most yellow orange colored
fruits and vegetables. Pregnant women should also get their fill
of Vitamin A that is just enough for their body. But this does not
mean that you have to take in large amounts of Vitamin A because
too much in the blood can also cause serious harm to the body.
Taking in Vitamin A, Retinol and Beta Carotene
in the body will definitely clear your vision and your body from
toxins and help you in having a happy and healthy body.
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