Vitamin A

Did you ever wonder why milk is fortified with Vitamin A? The reason is to control vitamin A deficiency. In third world countries, vitamin A deficiency is still very prevalent. The reason is that many children and adults in these countries do not consume adequate amounts of Vitamin A in their diets. Secondarily, individuals may become Vitamin A deficient by not absorbing Vitamin A.

Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin that is found in dark green and yellow vegetables, orange and yellow fruits, egg yolks, and liver. Some of the better sources are yams, sweet potatoes, spinach, carrots, cantaloupe and dried apricots.

So why is vitamin A important. Vitamin A is retinol or retinal, this form is found in animal sources such as liver. The plant form of Vitamin A is Beta carotene. You might guess from the animal form that this particular vitamin is important for the retina or vision. Deficiency can lead to blindness, specifically night blindness. So remember when you were told or you heard that carrots were good for you because they helped you see better. Well they don't necessarily help you see better, but they do help prevent night blindness.

More tomorrow on Vitamin A