In this chiropractic nutritional blog we will go over the importance of getting a healthy amount of Vitamin A in your diet.  Vitamin A is a key component to good vision, a healthy immune system and regular cell growth.  The active forms of Vitamin A are called retinoids and beta carotene.  These two types of Vitamin A may seem familiar, that’s because retinoids are essential to the retina for low light and color vision, and beta carotene is converted in the body to the active form retinol.  

Vitamin A is easily obtained with a regular diet of fruits and vegetables, containing about 65% of the RDA.  If you are looking for foods high in Vitamin A it is found in eggs, milk, sweet potatos, carrots, spinach and most fruits.

As stated above it is found in most regular diets so deficiency is generally not an issue, however Vitamin A deficiency is called Keratomalacia.  Keratomalacia is affects the eyes and generally presents with what is called night blindness.  This is the inability to see or poor vision during dim light conditions or at night.  Most people will describe the onset of keratomalacia as seeing halos around lights at night or not being able to adjust to light when going into a dark room.  

The recommended daily amount of Vitamin A is 900-1000 mcg/day or 3000 IU/day.  Vitamin A supplementation over the recommended daily amount is sometimes prescribed as a treatment for acne, skin conditions and digestive disorders.  Do not take more than the RDA unless recommended by a physician.  The Chiropractors at Northern Edge Chiropractic LLC in Plymouth, MN recommend taking a Multi-Vitamin on a daily basis to get your daily source of Vitamin A.  

If you have any questions regarding Vitamin A and your diet feel free to contact one of our Chiropractors at Norther Edge. We would love to help answer any questions that you may have.