Vitamin A and Your Health

Many skin care products now tout the fact that they contain vitamin A, but do you know what vitamin A does, why it’s important, and the safety issues surrounding its use? In this article we’ll explore all those issues and more.

Written by Monica Wesley, Green Health Research Contributor

What Is Vitamin A and Where Does It Come From?

Vitamin A is the name for a group of similarly structured organic compounds. They are all fat-soluble vitamins. The two main sub-groups of vitamin A are retinoids and carotenoids. Retinoids are naturally found in animal food sources and are sometimes called preformed vitamin A, while carotenoids are found in plants and are called provitamin A.

You may be familiar with the carotenoid beta-carotene, the substance which is responsible for giving carrots and other vegetables their vibrant orange color. All carotenoids act as natural ‘dyes’ in plants. Scientists can also make synthetic vitamin A, and this is the form most commonly found in supplements and cosmetic products.

Why Is Vitamin A Important?

Anyone who’s been told to ‘eat your carrots’ knows that the beta-carotene found in them aids in proper eye function and sight. Beta-carotene, as discussed above, is a form of vitamin A. Vitamin A aids in vision by helping to form the “rods and cones” which make up the retina, which is located at the back of the eye. Vitamin A retinoids derive their name from the fact they are so vital to proper functioning of the retina. Without sufficient vitamin A, a condition called “night blindness” occurs. Night blindness results in an impaired ability to see when the light becomes dim, and if left untreated can result in blindness.

Vitamin A is also extremely important to ensure proper functioning of your immune system. Without enough vitamin A, your body becomes more susceptible to infectious diseases of all kinds. Studies have shown that children who are even just mildly deficient in vitamin A have higher rates of respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses than those who are not at all vitamin A deficient. In developing countries, adding vitamin A to participants’ diets was found to reduce their risk of contracting many diseases, and also lessened the severity of diseases which were still contracted.

Vitamin A is believed to help support immune function by helping to form white blood cells. White blood cells fight infections, and without them our bodies are powerless against all forms of bacteria, viruses, and other foreign invaders. Vitamin A is also responsible for building and maintaining healthy skin and mucous membrane cells, which form the physical barrier that is the first line of defense in our immune system.

Besides just aiding in the immune properties of skin, vitamin A helps to keep skin healthy and free from blemishes. Vitamin A helps to both prevent and treat psoriasis and acne by helping the skin to shed dead skin cells and form healthier new skin cells. Both natural and synthetic forms of vitamin A have been proven to help create and maintain healthy skin.