What Vitamin A Does For The Body
Vitamin A is important from the very beginning of life!
Because Vitamin A plays a great role in the proper physical development of a baby, pregnant women must be sure to consume sufficient amounts of Vitamin A.
It helps to stimulate proper cell differentiation, which is the specialization of cells upon division to take over certain tasks, meaning that cells for the heart take on their characteristics, those for the liver take on theirs, those for the brain take on their own characteristics and functions, and so on.
It also helps in bone growth and development, as well as in the general growth and development of the body.
Vitamin A plays a major role in the functioning and quality of the body's immune system more specific in the skin and body's mucus membranes.
The skin and mucus membranes operate as barriers against bacteria and viruses, protecting against infection and disease. It certainly helps to keep the skin and mucus membranes healthy and able to serve their primary purpose.
As we've all heard through the years, carrots are good for the eyes. That is because they are a good source of Vitamin A, which is essential to vision. In fact, a serious deficiency in Vitamin A can result in blindness. Many children living in poverty in developing nations throughout the world have become blind simply because of the lack of this vitamin in their diets.
Vitamin A also serves to keep the surface linings of the intestinal, urinary and respiratory tracts healthy. This promotes proper functioning and offers protection from bacteria as well.
One of the more common units of measure for this vitamin is the International Unit, or IU. Adult and teenaged males should be sure to consume at total of 3,000 IU of Vitamin A per day.
Adult women and teenaged females should have 2,310 IU per day, 2,565 IU per day if pregnant and 4,300 IU per day if breastfeeding.
For children ages 9 through 13, 2,000 IU is the recommended daily intake, with 1,320 IU being sufficient for those aged 4 through 8.
From the first year through age 3, 1,000 IU is recommended.
Vitamin A often comes with other vitamins and minerals and that makes an outstanding cocktail of healthy ingredients.
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