Vitamin A is required for night vision, bone and tooth development, maintaining skin tissue, reproduction, mucous membranes, and for iron metabolism. There are two sources of Vitamins A. The active form are obtained from animal products and are immediately available to the human body and the precursors types that must be converted to active forms to be utilized by the body. They are acquired from fruits and vegetables that have yellow, orange and dark green pigments, known as beta-carotene.
Vitamin A is also involved in maintaining the certain cells used by immune system to ward off infections and include b-cells, t-cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells. Vitamins A affect the production of the human growth hormone.
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and is stored primarily in the liver and to some extent the fat cells in the body. When needed the liver releases the Vitamin A into the blood stream to be carried to the cells and organs of the human body.
Unlike water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins can reach toxic levels in the human body. The condition knows as hypervitamoinosis can occur if more than 10,000 IU per day of Active (animal) Vitamin A, or the synthetic version of Vitamin A is taken. This condition can be fatal. Do not take more than the recommended dosage of Vitamin A. Vitamin A derived from fruits and vegetables does not appear to develop toxic levels in the human body.
It is unknown why, but animals adapted to the polar environment contain high enough amounts of Vitamin A in their livers to be toxic to humans. As little of 30 grams of polar bear liver eaten in one meal can be enough to kill a human being.
Vitamin A in the form of Retinoid and Retinol are used in the cosmetic industry to improve the skin replacement rate. The effects of acne and the scars from acne can be markedly reduced by this higher skin cell replacement rate. The anti aging chemicals also found in vitamin A are absorbed through the skin and can increase the collagen level giving the skin a more youthful appearance.
Regular application of retinol can make the skin soft and smooth. The pores will be cleaned and less visible and wrinkles will be less pronounced thus the signs of aging would be reduced. Retinol has been found to improve skin texture, tone and color.
Vitamins A had been suspected to be a contributor to osteoporosis and with the increase in birth defects when taken in excess. The FDA recommends that pregnant women consume no more than 5,000 IU of Vitamin A per day.
Good sources of natural Vitamin A is found in sweet potatoes, carrots, collard greens, kale, pumpkin, spinach, sweet peppers, winter squash, apricots, cantaloupe, mango, liver, eggs and broccoli.
If you just feel that you need vitamins, supplements or herbs to fight the aging process then find a good health care professional prior to starting any type of home treatment.
Always consult your doctor before using this information.
This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice.
Vitamins For Anti Aging
Unfortunately there is no magic pill you can take to stop the affects of aging on your skin, but there are things that you can do which will help you to develop an effective anti aging skin care routine. Bear in mind, however, that the best anti aging skin care treatments can often be found in those who have a proper diet and healthy lifestyle where they include proper vitamin rich foods. In this article we will focus on the best sources for Vitamin A which will help your skin as you age.
It is believed by many that Vitamin A is one of the most important ingredients in any anti aging skin care treatment regime. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin which plays a major role in your sight, growth and development and studies have proven that it is chiefly responsible for human development as well as maintaining healthy skin, hair and mucous membranes.
The best way to ensure that you get enough Vitamin A in your diet if you are serious about developing a good anti aging skin routine is by eating a variety of foods which contain this vitamin and carotene. But there are some steps that you should take in order that you do not consume too many foods and supplements which contain it.
In fact eating too much Vitamin A can be toxic to your body and the US recommended daily allowance for Vitamin A is 1,000 retinal equivalents per day. Excess levels of vitamin A is not excreted by the body, but is stored in the fat so it is possible to get "too much". How much is "too much" remains to be seen but suffice it to say that it would probably be pretty difficult to overdose on Vitamin A - just don't gobble down supplements like there is no tomorrow and try to get your vitamins from natural foods and you should be OK.
The best foods you can eat which are rich in Vitamin A are whole cows? milk, red and dark green vegetables (carrots, red peppers, tomatoes, pumpkin and broccoli) and fruit such as apricots and mangoes.
In addition to eating foods rich in beta carotene (all the foods above) which your body makes into Vitamin A, you can also add a skin cream that has Vitamin A in it. Make sure you buy a good quality cream and preferably one that doesn't have harmful chemicals in it.
So make it part of your every day routine to eat the above suggested foods, get a good skin cream and you should soon be on the way to having a better anti aging skin care routine for the rest of your life.
Both David Cowley & Lee Dobbins - are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
David Cowley has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Aging Supplement and Heart Conditions. David Cowley has created numerous articles on Anti Aging. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to Anti Aging and how to treat them. Click on . David Cowley's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.
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