What is Vitamin A Requirement?

Vitamin A is essential for a healthy immune and reproductive system, healthy vision, maintenance of strong bones and teeth, red blood cell production, tissue repair and skin health. It is a fat soluble vitamin that also acts as a powerful antioxidant in the body. Vitamin A is essential for many physiological processes, including maintaining the integrity and function of all surface tissues (epithelia). It can also help with skin problems such as some types of acne and hyperkeratosis. Vitamin A plays a critical role for vision under conditions of poor lighting, bone growth, reproduction, cell functions and for maintaining a healthy immune system.

RDA for retinol is 900 micrograms (3,000IU) and 700 micrograms (2,333IU) for males and females respectively. Your need for retinol increases in pregnancy, childbirth, infancy, and childhood growth.

How It Affects Your Body

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) mostly occurs in children on unbalanced diets. VAD can affect growth in children and lead to serious complications such as weak immune function. VAD also increases the severity of diarrhoea and has been associated with increased risk of infectious morbidity and mortality risk of infections. The most specific clinical effect of inadequate vitamin A intake is xerophthalmia or dry eye, which can result in night blindness, conjunctival xerosis, Bitot's spots, corneal xerosis, corneal ulceration, and scarring. People with VAD tend to have a low iron status which can lead to anaemia. Moreover, VAD is associated with chronic malabsorption of fats and impaired bile production and release. Furthermore, pregnant women with low vitamin A will have difficulties to support maternal and fetal tissue growth. Besides, breastfeeding women with low vitamin A will have difficulties to support lactating.

Symptoms

Diet

A low-fat diet can affect the absorption of carotenoids.