Vitamin A is also known as retinol and has several important functions.

  • It helps your body’s natural defence against illness and infection
  • Helps with vision in dim light
  • Helps to keep the skin healthy

Good natural sources of Vitamin A

  • Cheese
  • eggs
  • oily fish
  • Fortified low fat spreads
  • milk and yoghurt

How much do we need of vitamin A to stay healthy

  • 0.7 mg per day for men
  • 0.6 mg for women

What are the signs of a deficiency of vitamin A?  It is actually quite rare in developed countries such as ours,  to be deficient in vitamin A, it is much more prevalent in third world countries. However some of the symptoms are, skin irritations, night blindness, infertility and delayed growth.

What happens if i take too much Vitamin A?  Some research states that taking too much Vitamin A over many years may affect your bones making them more likely to fracture when you are older.

If you eat a balanced and healthy diet you should easily be getting enough vitamin A naturally, and it is a vitamin that your body stores, so you don’t need to consume it every day.

 

Look out for my next blog tomorrow covering B vitamins and folic acid.

 

Bev

Stay safe x