Vitamin A: Importance, Sources, and Deficiency Symptoms

Vitamin A is an important micronutrient that helps keep your immune system healthy, supports vision in dim light, and keeps your skin healthy.

Also knows as retinol, vitamin A is an essential nutrient for humans.

This micronutrient can’t be synthesised in the body and so has to be obtained through our diet.

What is vitamin A good for?

Vitamin A supports your body in its natural defence against illness and infection. It’s also needed for the proper functioning of the eyes and skin.

While the link isn’t perfectly clear, it is believed consuming foods rich in vitamin A can reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.

All humans require vitamin A for adequate growth, cell and tissue differentiation, vision, development and function of the immune system, and survival.

How much vitamin A do you need?

This will depend on your age and sex. The National Institutes of Health recommends you consume the following amounts:

Vitamin A sources

Vitamin A rich foods include dairy products such as:

• Cheese
• Eggs
• Milk and yogurt
• Liver and pâté

Vitamin A is stored in the livers of animals, which make liver and pâté an incredibly rich source of this nutrient.

Additionally, consuming foods containing high amounts of beta-carotene can help with vitamin A levels, as your body can convert these into the vitamin. Good sources of beta-carotene include:

• Spinach
• Carrots
• Peppers
• Squash
• Sweet potato
• Mango
• Papaya

Vitamin A deficiency symptoms

According to the NHS, most people should get all the vitamin A they need through their diets, and any additional vitamin A you consume is stored for future use.

Vitamin A deficiencies are rare, however, if you do suffer from a deficiency watch out for the following symptoms:

• Poor night vision: vitamin A deficiency can lead to degradation of vision, especially during the night. A lack of vitamin A can prevent visual pigments to form in your eyes, causing them to become less sensitive to light. This is known as night blindness.
• Changes to your skin: cells on the surface of your body begin to deteriorate with a vitamin A deficiency, so you might suffer from dry skin, itchy, or inflamed skin.
• Decreased reproductive health: low levels of vitamin A have been linked with infertility and trouble conceiving, and can also lead to miscarriages and birth defects.  
• Poor wound healing: vitamin A promotes the creation of collagen, which is essential for healthy skin.
• Acne: low vitamin A levels can lead to acne breakouts.

People with vitamin A deficiency often also suffer from low iron, which can lead to anaemia. A deficiency can also increase the severity (and mortality risk) of other infections such as diarrhoea and measles.

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