Vitamin A Sources, Functions and Deficiency of Vitamin A

Vitamin A
Various sources of vitamin A, vitamin A functions and benefits for the body and symptoms of vitamin A deficiency (deficiency). Vitamin A is essential for the maintenance of corneal cells, helping the growth of bones and teeth, the formation and regulation of hormones, as well as protecting the body against cancer. Vitamin A found in many vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spinach, tomato), fruits (papaya), milk, cheese, butter, and eggs.

If the body lacks vitamin A causes a decrease in the function of the cornea up to blindness, bone deformation, pertumbuhaannya inhibited, forming a gap (tooth decay), atrophy tooth-forming cells

Various Sources of Vitamin A

1. Cereals
Comes from yellow corn and wheat

2. Tubers
Tubers contain a lot of vitamin A is the sweet yellow, sweet steamed yellow, red sweet potatoes, yams red,

3. Cereals
From seeds or beans are peas and beans

4.Vegetables
Vegetables that contain a lot of vitamin A such as daffodils, spinach, spinach fried chips, bunkil taro leaves, red amaranth, velvetleaf leaf, guava leaf, leaves cashew nuts panjangl leaves and other green leaves, Gandaria, beans, kankung, chinese cabbage , pumpkin, soy pack, princess shy, young ranti, seaweed, mustard, clover, Hintalo eggplant and carrots.

5. Fruits
Examples are apples, country, persimmon, mango, papaya, banana, and breadfruit Sowa.

6. Animal
Animal sources of vitamin A derived from chicken, duck, lamb kidney, beef liver, chicken liver, liver sausage, different types of fish (rabbitfish, skipjack, cork, kawalinya, clams, lehoma, malugis, crab, sardines, coral trout, and tuna Titang ), fish eggs and salted eggs.

7. Processed
In addition there are also vitamin A naturally derived dri processed as head of milk, butter, fish oil, palm oil, fish flour and milk powder.

Foods that contain vitamin A High


  • liver (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish) (6500 mg 722%)
  • carrots (835 mcg 93%)
  • broccoli leaf (800 mg 89%)
  • sweet potatoes (709 mg 79%)
  • butter (684 mg 76%)
  • spinach (681 mcg 76%)
  • spinach (469 mcg 52%)
  • flask (400 mg 41%)
  • collard greens (333 mg 37%)
  • Cheddar cheese (265 mg 29%)
  • honeydew melon (169 mg 19%)
  • eggs (140 mg 16%)
  • apricot (96 mg 11%)
  • papaya (55 mg 6%)
  • mango (38 mg 4%)
  • beans (38 mg 4%)
  • broccoli (31 mg 3%)
  • milk (28 mg 3%)


Functions of Vitamin A For Body

1. Maintain eye health.
Vitamin A plays an important role in the formation of the sense of sight. This vitamin will help change the molecular signals from the received light beam or retina to be a projection of the image in our brains.

2. Prevent cancer
Vitamin A can help cells to reproduce normally. If the cells can not reproduce normally, it could turn out to be pre-cancerous.

3. Needed for Pregnant Women
Vitamin A is also very good for pregnant women. Because it can assist the growth and development of the embryo and fetus, and will affect the genes for the development of organs.

4. Prevent infections, boost immunity
Vitamin A protects the body from foreign organisms such as bacteria inveksi pathogens. This vitamin will increase the work activity of white blood cells and antibodies in the body, so the body becomes more resistant to toxic compounds or microorganisms attack the parasite.

Signs of Vitamin A Deficiency

Ever heard of low birth weight? Must have it. Well, low birth weight babies are going to bring a deficiency of vitamin A. Because infants with low weight, which weight less than 2.5 Kg baby more easily threatened by lack of vitamin A. In the development of the baby's age if not treated immediately get the intake of vitamin A, diseases such as night blindness, corneal xerosis be suffered.

Other diseases such as autoimmune lung disease and ARI (Acute Respiratory Infection). Lung disease is caused by a lack of various vitamins, including vitamin A. Usually autonium disease of the lungs attacks the adults who have the habit of smoking. But it can affect the baby if the lack of intake of vitamin A. Because according to the table of vitamin deficiency, the vitamin A that gives a bigger impact on the body's T cells. T cell immunity is the effect on the body.

Diseases caused by deficiency of Vitamin A

- Hemeralopia that arise due to the decreasing ability of Bacillus cells at twilight
- Bitot spots (damage to the retina)
- Seroftalmia (cornea dries due to disruption of the tear glands)
- Keratomalasi (completely damaged corneas due to reduced oil production meibom)
- Frinoderma (scaly skin of hands and feet due to impaired formation of the skin epithelium)
- Bleeding in the lining of the intestines, kidneys, and lungs because of damage to epithelial organs
- The process stalled growth