Monday, February 18, 2008

All About Vitamin A

Vitamin A was first discovered back in 1912, by a Polish biochemist named Casimir Funk. He came up with the word vitamine, which was later given the name vitamin. Funk was the first to discover vitamins, vitamin A was actually the first one discovered, hence the letter “A” in the title of the vitamin.

Vitamin A is required by the body on an every day basis to maintain healthy skin and keep your eyesight on track.

On a normal day, you should be consuming around 5,000 international units (IU) of vitamin A. Depending on your health and your age, you may need to consume more or less.


What happened when a deficiency of Vitamin A Occurs?
If you don’t consume enough vitamin A in your diet, you’ll end up with a deficiency. It results in skin problems, increased infections, and even night blindness as well. A prolonged deficiency in vitamin A can put you at a risk for cancer as well, and you’ll also miss out on any effects of anti aging that the vitamin might have. Although you should begin taking it immediately if you have a deficiency, the effects wouldn’t be the same as they would be if you stayed up to date with the right amount on a daily basis.

What happened when you are getting too much Vitamin A?
If you are getting too much vitamin A, you’ll put yourself at risk for pain in your joints, abdomen, and your bones. Even though too much or not enough can cause you serious side effects, you should always get the right amount in your diet. Vitamin A is very important, and should always be included in your diet. If you are going to take supplements, you should make sure that they provide the right amounts with no side effects.