Blog | Dawdy Naturopathic Clinic

There are some vitamins you hear a lot about. It’s commonly known that you can get vitamin D from sunlight and vitamin C can help when you’re sick. Other vitamins you hear less about, but they’re still just as important. Vitamin A is one of those vitamins. Vitamin A isn’t less important than other vitamins just because you hear less about it, though. As a naturopathic doctor in Ottawa, I understand the importance of vitamin A in your diet and want to make sure all my clients do, too. In particular, it’s great for your skin, and since I offer facial rejuvenation acupuncture near me, I’m also interested in a nutritional approach to great skin. So, let’s take a look at vitamin A – what it is, how it helps you stay healthy, and more. What Is Vitamin A? Vitamin A isn’t just one thing, it’s actually a group of fat soluble compounds that includes retinol, retinal, and retinyl. But what does all this mean? Broadly speaking, there are two different types of vitamins – water soluble and fat soluble. Water soluble vitamins – like vitamin C and the B complex vitamins – are either used right away, or eliminated through your urine. Compare this with fat soluble vitamins – which include vitamin D, and yes, vitamin A – which are stored in the fat in your body. There are two forms of vitamin A that are found in food. Preformed vitamin A is made up of retinol and retinyl. You can find preformed vitamin A in animal products, like fish and dairy. The other kind of vitamin A is provitamin A carotenoids. You can find provitamin A carotenoids in things like fruits, vegetables, and oils that come from plants. Most of the vitamin A that’s in your body is stored in your liver. What Are The Benefits Of Vitamin A? Vitamin A plays a few different roles in your body. It’s important for your eye health, your immune system, your bone health, and more. Keep reading to find out the role vitamin A plays in keeping your body healthy. 1. It's Good For Your Skin At some point in your life, you probably dealt with acne. Sometimes, it’s just an adolescent thing. Other people just can’t shake it. Either way, vitamin A is a naturopathic solution for acne that can help with keeping your skin clear. Some skin care products for acne have vitamin A in them, and researchers think that being vitamin A deficient may increase your risk of acne. Ensuring you’re getting enough vitamin A in your diet can help keep your skin clear. 2. It Helps Support Your Immune System Vitamin A plays an important role in keeping your body free of bacteria and other forms of infection. You have mucous barriers in your eyes, lungs, and gut, all of which require Vitamin A to keep them up and running and help them trap pathogens. Vitamin A also plays an important role in the production and function of white blood cells. White blood cells play an important role in keeping your blood stream clear of pathogens. If you’re deficient in vitamin A, you’re more likely to get infections and it can take longer for you to get better if you do get sick. As an immune system doctor of naturopathy, I often recommend vitamin A to patients with immune issues. 3. It Has Cancer Fighting Properties Getting the right amount of vitamin A in your body is essential for the health and growth of your cells. Cancer happens when abnormal cells in your body start to grow in an uncontrollable way. Eating plant based foods that are high in vitamin A has been shown to lower the risk of cervical cancer, lower risk of pancreatic cancer, and lower risk of bladder cancer. 4. It's Good For Your Bones Most people know that calcium and vitamin D are important for your bones. But what you may not know is that eating enough vitamin A is also very important for bone health. In fact, not eating enough vitamin A has been shown to put you at a higher risk for bone fractures than people who do get enough vitamin A in their diet. As you age, osteoporosis becomes more of a concern, especially when it comes to women’s health after menopause. The primary naturopathic solution for osteoporosis is, of course, to keep your bones healthy – vitamin A can help with that. 5. It's Good For Your Eyes You may have been told at some point in your life that eating carrots will improve your vision. This might not be completely true, but carrots do contain beta carotene – which your body converts into vitamin A. Vitamin A helps in the process that converts the light that enters your eye into an electrical signal that gets sent in your brain and tells you what you’re seeing. This is important especially for your night vision. A common early symptom of vitamin A deficiency is actually night blindness. It’s not just seeing in the dark that vitamin A helps with, though. It’s common for your eyesight to get worse as you age, but vitamin A can help slow down this process. In both cases, vitamin A is an important component of your lifelong eye health. Getting More Vitamin A In Your Diet There are a lot of ways you can incorporate vitamin A rich foods into your diet. Remember, vitamin A comes in two forms: preformed vitamin A and provitamin A carotenoids. Preformed vitamin A is easier for your body to absorb and use than provitamin A carotenoids. Foods that are high in preformed vitamin A include: Egg yolks Beef liver Butter Cod liver oil Salmon Cheddar cheese King mackerel Trout If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you might need to pay extra attention to how much vitamin A you get in your diet. This is because the vitamin A that comes from plants is harder for your body to use and not everyone can absorb it efficiently. Foods that are high in provitamin A carotenoids include: Sweet potatoes Pumpkin Carrots Kale Spinach Collared greens Cantaloupe Red peppers What Does Vitamin A Deficiency Look Like? Vitamin A deficiency isn’t very common, but it can lead to severe health problems if it isn’t addressed. If you’re deficient in vitamin A, you might notice skin issues like hyperkeratosis and acne. If left untreated, vitamin A deficiency can lead to blindness, a higher risk of dying from infections like diarrhea and measles, and can cause higher risks of anemia and even death if you’re pregnant. Some people also have higher risk of being vitamin A deficient, like premature infants and people with cystic fibrosis. RELATED: Naturopathic Doctor Pregnancy Clinic In Ottawa RELATED: Pediatric Naturopath Near Me Can You Overdose On Vitamin A? Getting too much vitamin A can be dangerous for your body. Since vitamin A is stored in your body as a fat soluble vitamin, it builds up over time and can reach unhealthy levels. If you ingest too much vitamin A at once, it can even be fatal. Ingesting too much vitamin A at once is called acute vitamin A toxicity. When too much vitamin A builds up over time in your body, it’s called chronic vitamin A toxicity, or hypervitaminosis A. Symptoms of chronic vitamin A toxicity include: Issues with your eyesight Joint pain Bone pain Sensitivity to light, especially sunshine Hair loss Confusion Jaundice Nausea Vomiting Poor appetite Issues with your liver Decreased appetite Dry or itchy skin It’s hard to overdose on vitamin A if you’re a vegetarian or vegan and are only getting provitamin A carotenoids from plant based foods. And while it’s possible to overdose on vitamin A from animal products – particularly liver – you’d have to eat quite a lot of it. Vitamin A toxicity mostly comes from supplementing with it. Should You Take Vitamin A Supplements? If you’re worried you might not get enough vitamin A from your diet, vitamin A supplements might be a good option for you. Vitamin A supplements can make it easier for you to experience vitamin A toxicity, though. That’s why it’s essential that you talk to an experienced naturopathic doctor, like me. Together, we can determine whether or not you need to take vitamin A supplements and the appropriate dosage amount if you do need them. Book Your Appointment With Dawdy Naturopathic Today If you’re worried you’re not getting enough vitamin A, worried you’re getting too much, or simply want to know more about what vitamin A does for your body, you’ve come to the right place. Book your appointment with Dawdy Naturopathic Clinic today. As an experienced naturopathic doctor, I can help make sure your vitamin intake meets all your body’s needs. Book your appointment with me, Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND, today.

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