About Vitamin A

 Information about Vitamin A

  Vitamin A is one of the fat- soluble vitamins , and it is called a group of compounds, including retinol, retinoic acid, retinal, beta-carotene, and others. This vitamin is important for maintaining vision health and the immune system . It is essential for the growth and development of the body,  and the first evidence that led to the discovery of Vitamin A appeared in 1819  when the scientist Magendi found that dogs suffering from malnutrition were more likely to develop corneal ulcers, and the risk of them being exposed to death increased. Also, after that, the chemist discovered English Vital Frederick Hopkins in 1912 that there are substances in the milk does not consist of carbohydrates or proteins, or fats, but important for the growth of mice, has been named these substances later vitamin A.

 Benefits of Vitamin A 

Vitamin A provides many health benefits for the human body, and we mention among the most important of these benefits:

• Preventing eyes from blindness and degeneration associated with aging: The body needs vitamin A to convert light that reaches the eye into electrical signals that reach the brain, and therefore one of the first symptoms of this vitamin deficiency is night blindness, or what is called as-n-blind (Nyctalopia). This is because vitamin A is one of the main components of light-sensitive rhodopsin in the retina, and despite the ability of people with night blindness to see during the day, their vision weakens during the night, due to the inability of the eye to experience Naturally, the light sheds light, and in addition, it was found that consuming sufficient quantities of beta-carotene may slow the degeneration in the sense of vision caused by age, in one study it was observed that giving older people over the age of 50 years who suffer from visual impairment supplements containing On antioxidants, including beta-carotene, has reduced the risk of developing macular degeneration by 25%, but other studies have found that beta-carotene alone does not reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, nor does it slow it down. 
• Reducing the risk of some types of cancer: As one study indicated that taking large amounts of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene was associated with a lower risk of some types of cancer , including bladder cancer , cervical cancer, lung cancer, and cancer known as Hodgkin's lymphoma (English: Hodgkin's lymphoma), but it is worth noting that taking vitamin A from plant sources can reduce the risk of cancer, except that eating it from its animal sources does not have the same effect, and that there are some other studies that did not reach the same results, and therefore still are There is a need Further evidence to confirm its benefits. 
• Enhancing the health of the immune system: Vitamin A is involved in the production of white blood cells and their functions, which contribute to getting rid of bacteria and pathogenic organisms in the blood. Vitamin A also maintains other natural defenses of the body, such as the mucous barriers in the lungs, eyes, and intestines, And other places, which contribute to keeping bacteria and the organisms causing the infection, and therefore vitamin A deficiency increases the risk of infection, and delays healing when infection, and in addition to that it has been found that the treatment of vitamin A deficiency in children who live in The places where some diseases such as malaria and measles are common reduce the risk of death from these diseases. 
• Reducing the risk of acne: it is believed that a lack of vitamin A can increase the risk of acne, because this deficiency causes an increase in the production of keratin protein inside the hair follicles; as these follicles contain sebaceous glands that secrete a substance called sebum, and acne occurs when These glands are blocked by the accumulation of dead skin and oils on the skin, so Keratin makes it difficult to get rid of dead skin in the hair follicles, which causes blockage, and therefore Vitamin A has been used in some medications to treat acne, including Isotretino. in) which is prescribed to treat severe acne, but this medicine causes serious side effects, and it should not be used without consulting a doctor. 
• Support for bone health: As eating sufficient quantities of vitamin A is important for proper bone growth, and its lack of blood increases the risk of bone fractures, although it has been found that eating this vitamin in large quantities has been linked to an increased risk of fractures, but The cause of this has not been known yet, and therefore more studies are still needed to confirm the effect and effect of vitamin A on the bone. 
• Promoting healthy growth and reproduction: As vitamin A is important for the health of the reproductive system in both men and women, one of the studies in mice indicated that vitamin A deficiency inhibits the development of sperm cells in males, causing infertility , and its deficiency when females reduces the quality of the eggs, which affects the process Angracha in the womb , and in addition, the vitamin a is important to maintain the healthy growth and development of embryos during the period of pregnancy, is responsible for the growth and development of some members of the task when the fetus, such as the one nervous system , pancreas , and kidneys Skeletal, heart, eyes, lungs, but it's worth noting that the increase in vitamin A during pregnancy is harmful to the fetus, and may cause distortions, and therefore the competent authorities of women advises pregnant woman to stay away from foods that contain large amounts of vitamin A liver, and dietary supplements that It also contains     vitamin A.