Vitamin A Each Day Is An Essential Part Of Reaching Your Health Goals

Recent government surveys have found that most people do not consume enough Vitamin A in their daily diets. This is unfortunate, because Vitamin A is essential to good health. In fact, serious health problems can result from long-term, serious Vitamin A deficiencies.

Vitamin A is important from the very beginning of life. Pregnant women must be sure to consume sufficient amounts of Vitamin A, which will be more than they needed before pregnancy, because Vitamin A plays a great role in the proper physical development of a baby. It helps to promote proper cell differentiation, which is the specialization of cells upon division to take over certain tasks, meaning that cells for the heart take on their characteristics, those for the liver take on theirs, those for the brain take on their own characteristics and functions, and so on.

Vitamin A also serves in bone growth and development, as well as in the general growth and development of the body.

Vitamin A has a significant part in the quality and functioning of the body’s immune system. One facet of this functioning has to do with the skin and body’s mucus membranes. The skin and mucus membranes serve a very practical purpose for the body.

These operate as barriers against bacteria and viruses, protecting against infection and disease. Vitamin A helps to keep the skin and mucus membranes healthy and able to serve their primary purpose.

As we’ve all heard through the years, carrots are good for the eyes. That is because they are a good source of Vitamin A, which is essential to vision. In fact, a serious deficiency in Vitamin A can result in blindness. Many children living in poverty in developing nations throughout the world have become blind simply because of the lack of Vitamin A in their diets.

Vitamin A also serves to keep the surface linings of the intestinal, urinary and respiratory tracts healthy. This offers protection from bacteria, as well has promotes proper functioning.

One of the more common units of measure for Vitamin A found on packaging labels of food and dietary supplements is the International Unit, or IU. Adult and teenaged males should be sure to consume at total of 3,000 IU of Vitamin A per day.

Adult women and teenaged females should have 2,310 IU per day, 2,565 IU per day if pregnant and 4,300 IU per day if breastfeeding. For children ages 9 through 13, 2,000 IU is the recommended daily intake, with 1,320 IU being sufficient for those aged 4 through 8. From the first year through age 3, 1,000 IU is recommended.

Using dietary supplements to complete a healthy diet can ensure that the body receives the nutrients it needs for optimum performance. However, it is important to heed label and doctor recommendations for the best amount to be taken for your dietary needs.

Proper nutrition is essential to achieving and maintaining health. It is much better to avoid sickness than to recover from it. Taking steps to ensure that you are getting enough Vitamin A each day is an essential part of reaching your health goals.

Vitamins And Minerals For The Eyes

Vision is one of our most precious senses. One of the things that we can do daily to protect our eyes from harm is to be sure that each day we consume the recommended daily intake levels of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

As with everything about our bodies, proper nutrition plays an invaluable role in keeping our eyes functioning as well as possible. There are certain nutrients that are known to be especially associated with ocular health.

Among these are the anti-oxidant vitamins. The eye, especially the lens and the retina, is particularly vulnerable to the effects of unchecked free radicals, which are a byproduct of oxygen, cellular processes and environmental contaminants. Anti-oxidant vitamins help to combat free radicals.

The primary anti-oxidant vitamins include Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E. in addition to their important action against free radicals, they promote healthy cells and tissues in the eye. Lutein and Zeaxanthin are two more valuable anti-oxidants that recent research has found to be especially effective in maintaining the health of the eyes.

In addition to the vitamins that promote ocular health, there are several minerals that have been determined to play a significant role in the health of the eye. Among these are zinc, selenium, manganese, and copper. Zinc is an important mineral that serves to regulate sight, smell and taste and the concentration of zinc in the eye is higher than any other part of the body.

One important function of zinc in relation to the eyes is its role in the regulation of the amount of Vitamin A, essential to eye health, from the liver. People who have a deficiency in selenium have been clinically shown to be more likely to suffer from cataracts.

Recent research into the influence of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients upon the health of the eye has turned up a good deal new information. This has led to the development of specialized dietary supplements designed specifically to promote ocular health. The early results of clinical trials concerning the halting and even reversal of macular degeneration and other age-related eye diseases via specialized nutritional treatments look very promising and research continues at a rapid pace.

Those seeking to benefit from dietary supplements designed to promote ocular health and healing should familiarize themselves with the most common vitamins and minerals in these supplements, doing the research to find out what both the optimum and the safest levels of these nutrients are. Consulting an eye care professional and a licensed nutritionist can be very helpful in planning the best dietary supplement regimen suited to individual dietary needs and health goals.

Making sure that you are achieving the recommended daily intake levels of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients is one of the best things you can do for all over health and well being. In terms of eye health, paying close attention to you daily nutrition can make a real difference in the quality of your vision and help to keep your eyes healthy and functioning well for a good, long time. When properly taken, dietary supplements can be a valuable part of any ocular health focused program.