VITAMIN A

Today I will begin vitamins cycle!

Do you know that we need around 13 different vitamins to keep our body healthy?

Don´t worry!  I will show you vitamins that are very important for our body in chemistry way of course.

But, do you know what is vitamin mean?

Vitamin is an organic chemical compound, because it is formed by carbon. We need this substance in small amounts for growth, metabolism, health and wellness.

The best way of get vitamins is from food, but you can get them by supplements too.

The most important message here is we must get them all day because our body use in many chemical reactions and we can´t make them inside our body.

Before begin our vitamins cycle we have to understand that vitamins are divide in two subcategories: fat-soluble and water-soluble.

Fat-soluble vitamins are stored mostly in our fatty tissues and liver and it will released when is needed. Vitamins belong in this group are A, E, D and K.

Water-soluble vitamins can not be stored in our body. This is the mainly reason that we should get them every day. Vitamins that represents this group are: B complex and C.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is known as Retinol and your oxidized state is retinol acid. The function of retinol is listed below:

ü  Avoid infections because it works together with epithelial tissues. These cells make up: skin, eyes, mouth, nose, throat, lungs, digestive and urinary tract. Vitamin A grows and repairs them;

If you don´t take retinol these cells could be stiff, dry and vulnerable to germs. Then, this vitamin is good for immune system;

ü  Vitamin A fights cancer because inhibits DNA production of cancer cells and also slows tumor growth.

You can found vitamin A in meat, liver, oil fish and yolk. However there are others food that don´t have retinol ready. They have pre-formed vitamin A like carotenes.

Carotenes

They are natural pigments in red, orange, and yellow. They called pre-formed vitamin A, because some enzymes that there are in our body could help chemical reactions that change a b-carotene in retinol.

We can found pre-formed vitamin A in spinach, pumpkin, carrot, mango and papaya.

Symptoms of vitamin A deficiency are: night blindness, sensitivity to light (photophobia), decrease of smell and taste, dryness and infection of skin and mucous membranes, stress, thickening of the corneal lesions cancer in the skin and eyes. 

However if you have a balance diet you don´t need worry get more vitamin A and carotenes.

I hope that information helps you. If you have any doubt, please contact me.

Barbara Bruna

References:

Pressman, A. H. Vitamins and minerals. The ABC of nutrition´s building blocks;

http://www.tuasaude.com/vitamina-a-retinol/

      http://vitaminas-sempre.blogspot.com.br/2011/11/o-que-sao-vitaminas.html