The name vitamin A comes before all the vitamins, but it is not that it is the best among all the vitamins. Yes! Vitamin A as well as all vitamins are best in their own right, as none of the vitamin requirements in the body can be replaced by any other Vitamin. Therefore vitamin A is also a very important vitamin due to its special properties, which the body needs continuously throughout life. So let us know about Vitamin A in detail.
The chemical name of Vitamin A is “Retinol and Antixerophthalmic Vitamin“. The molecular formula of Vitamin A is C20 H27 OH.
Vitamin A comes under the category of fat-soluble vitamins, that is, vitamin A is soluble in fats and oils and is found in foods containing fats and oils (eg: ghee, nuts, etc.). Vitamin A being fat soluble, it is stored in the liver and in the adipose tissue found under the skin so that the body can use it from time to time as needed.
Symptoms of Vitamin A Deficiency:
Vitamin A deficiency in children is a big problem. Due to the deficiency of Vitamin-A, children become weak and some of these children suffer from many eye diseases. Rather, young and old people also suffer from vitamin-A deficiency, but children also suffer the most. In India alone, a quarter of the world’s children suffer from vitamin-A deficiency, because some do not get nutritious food, and some suffer from vitamin-A deficiency due to other reasons.
Vitamin A is very much needed at that stage when the body starts developing in childhood. If there is a deficiency of Vitamin A in the body at the time of childhood, then the body cannot become strong and strong. Children whose body is deficient in Vitamin A, those children do not take interest in sports, studies, or any work, are always depressed, their bones remain loose and weak due to not connecting properly, child Appears weak and their weight remains below average for his age. Children with vitamin A deficiency lack the ability to bear weight, their deformed system of sitting, sitting, and resting, there is a curvature in the bones of the waist, knees, and feet, and the color of their body is pale yellow. seems to appear.
Night blindness or night blindness occurs due to a deficiency of vitamin A, in night blindness the person sees very little at night. The patient cannot see after sunset.
Vitamin A deficiency causes dryness (dryness or lack of tears) in the eyes, accompanied by burning, redness, and itching. This disease is called xerosis.
Due to the deficiency of vitamin A, the pupils of the eyes gradually turn white. This disease is called ‘corneal opacity. If it is not treated on time, the patient also becomes blind.
Due to the deficiency of vitamin A, there is a wound in the cornea that does not heal quickly. This disease is called a corneal ulcer.
Due to the deficiency of Vitamin A, children always suffer from some disease again and again and look very weak.
If there is a problem of excessive sleepiness and sore eyes or water falling while studying in children, then these are symptoms of vitamin A deficiency.
Briefly, the symptoms of vitamin A deficiency in people of all ages are as follows:
1. Xerophthalmia (hardening of the cornea),
2. Night blindness, cataracts,
3. Inflammation and dryness of the mucous membrane of the eyes,
4. Drying of lacrimal glands,
5. Growth retardation in children,
6. Underdeveloped and crooked bones, weight loss,
7. Cough, Tuberculosis, Pneumonia,
8. Dryness of the skin, and infection of diseases in the skin,
9. Neuralgia.
Causes of Vitamin A deficiency:
The biggest reason for the deficiency of Vitamin A in children is diarrhea (diarrhea or diarrhea) and stomach worms and when children suffer from these diseases, it is possible that they will definitely lack vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency is most common even after measles. It has been observed that after prolonged diarrhea in children, there is a deficiency of vitamin A in their body, while they keep on eating a balanced diet. Due to diarrhea and intestinal worms, the intestines of children become weak, in such a situation they are unable to absorb vitamin A from the substances, and vitamin A comes out with the stool.
In adults, other causes of vitamin A deficiency are improper diet, irregular lifestyle and serious illness, etc.
Diagnosis of Vitamin A Deficiency:
Vitamin-A deficiency is known only after looking at the diseases in the eyes of children. For this identification, attention should be paid to the above symptoms. Apart from this, due to deficiency of vitamin A, a person falls ill again and again and suffers from many types of diseases. Vitamin A deficiency is also detected precisely by blood tests.
Functions of Vitamin A:
Many people consider vitamin A to be beneficial only for eye health because they know very little about vitamin A. Vitamin A has many important functions in the body, which every person should know because everyone wants to be healthy. Firstly, the symptoms of vitamin A deficiency have been mentioned above, if there is a sufficient supply of vitamin A in the body, then the function of vitamin A is to eliminate those symptoms. Along with this, there are many other functions of Vitamin A as follows:
Vitamin A helps the body’s immune system to function properly. Vitamin-A gives the body the strength to fight infectious diseases because with the help of vitamin-A the human immune system is strengthened.
Vitamin- A strengthens each part of the eyes. Vitamin A helps in keeping the eyes healthy. Vitamin A plays an important role in a special action of the eye called ‘photochemical transformation’, because a substance called rhodopsin found in vitamin A reacts with light to turn into two components called ‘Retinin’ and ‘Opsin’, which are a part of the They are used in the neural action to make the object visible.
Vitamin A helps the mucosal membranes in the respiratory system to function smoothly (gas exchange).
If a sufficient amount of vitamin A is present in the body, then only the human digestive system is able to absorb a sufficient amount of calcium from the food consumed. Therefore, if there is a deficiency of vitamin A in children, then they will also be deficient in calcium, due to which bone deformities or bones become weak and crooked in children.
Sources of Vitamin A:
As already mentioned in the post on vitamins, each vitamin is found only in natural foods, and if natural foods containing vitamins are heated (boiled, fried, cooked, or roasted) over a fire, The vitamins found are destroyed. Therefore, vitamins are obtained in the body only when foods containing vitamins are eaten in their natural form.
Vitamin A is found in sufficient quantity in green leafy vegetables (eg- spinach, radish, carrot, fenugreek, bathua, etc.), papaya, tomato, mango, orange, milk, butter, ghee, vegetable oil, etc.
The availability of vitamin A in foods is indicated in International Unit (I.U.) or Unit (u). The chart below shows foods rich in vitamin A.
Foods Rich in Vitamin A:
| Food ingredient. | Quantity (I.U. per 100g) |
|---|---|
| 1. Green Coriander Leaf | 12600 |
| 2. Carrot | 2000-4200 |
| 3. Spinach | 9300 |
| 4. Cabbage | 2000 |
| 5. Maize | 1000 |
| 6. Butter | 2500 |
| 7. Ripe Mango | 4800 |
| 8. Papaya | 2220 |
| 9. Pure Ghee | 2000 |
| 10. Barley | 110 |
| 11. Wheat | 108 |
| 12.Jowar | 136 |
| 13.Bajra | 150 |
| 14. Shoyabean | 731 |
| 15. Gram | 200 |
| 16. Arhar Dal | 220 |
| 17. Grapes | 5 |
| 18. Orange | 350 |
| 19. Cashew | 100 |
| 20. Pistachios | 210 |
| 21. Beans | 210 |
| 22. Brinjal | 124 |
| 23. Milk | 180 |
| 24. Lentils | 450 |
| 25. Urad | 64 |
| 26. Walnuts | 10 |
| 27. Peanuts | 63 |
| 28.Okra | 70 |
| 29. Cauliflower | 41 |
Vitamin A daily requirement:
| Age Situation. | Requirement (per day) |
|---|---|
| 1. With breast milk for a small child | 1000 I.U. |
| 2. Healthy adult | 1-2µ or 7000-9000 I.U. |
| 3. Pregnant women | 9000 I.U. |
Remedy to overcome Vitamin A deficiency:
To overcome the deficiency of vitamin A, first of all, attention should be paid to the digestive system, because if the digestive system is not good, then no matter how many natural or artificial vitamin A food supplements are eaten, they cannot be absorbed in the body. Therefore, to overcome the deficiency of vitamin A, the digestive system is first corrected. The best way for that is to get treatment from an experienced and learned homeopathic doctor because homeopathic medicines cure the disease with great accuracy without any side effects. A qualified doctor of any other method can get the child treated properly, when the digestive system.
Drugs used to treat vitamin A deficiency, both injectable and oral; Both types of medicines are available on the market but they are less effective than natural foods.
To overcome the deficiency of vitamin A through nutritious food, milk, curd, butter, green leafy vegetables like spinach, mint, radish, carrot, beet, tomato, etc. and yellow sweet fruits like mango, papaya, etc. should be consumed in proper quantity. goes.
Important FAQ:
1. What is carotene?
Ans: An element called carotene is found in sufficient quantity in lettuce, carrot, cabbage, papaya, beet, fenugreek, garlic, etc., which after reaching the body gets converted into vitamin A.
2. What is the chemical name of Vitamin A?
Ans: The chemical name of Vitamin A is “Retinol and Antixerophthalmic Vitamin“.
3. What is the molecular formula of Vitamin A?
Ans: The molecular formula of Vitamin A is ‘C20 H29 OH‘.
4. In which food is Vitamin A found the most?
Ans: Vitamin A is most commonly found in green coriander leaves.
5. Which disease is specifically caused by the deficiency of Vitamin A?
Ans: Vitamin A deficiency especially causes night blindness and eye diseases.
Conclusion:
Parents take regular care of their children. If the child complains of itching in the eyes, immediately consult an eye specialist. Many schemes organized at the national level have been started by the government to overcome the deficiency of Vitamin-A in the child, yet it is necessary that the parents of the children are facing the deficiency of Vitamin-A in the children and any other Know the reason, which hinders the overall development of the child and tries to overcome it yourself.
We have provided important information related to Vitamin A in this post and we believe that with the help of this post you will be able to know about Vitamin A well. If still you have any doubt then feel free to write in below comment box.
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