What is the importance of vitamin A
The importance of vitamin A is undisputable. You may already be aware about the functions/role of vitamin A in our body. Vitamin A is absolutely necessary for normal vision, both black and white and colour. Vitamin A deficiency in childhood leads to blindness.
Vitamin A is highly important for the normal condition and functional maintenance of epithelial tissues. Vitamin A deficiency symptoms are manifest in characteristic changes of skin and mucosae. With prolonged vitamin A deficiency, cornification of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, the digestive tract and the urogential organs develops. Site of action of vitamin A is probably the protein metabolism of the epithelial cells. An early symptom of vitamin A deficiency is night blindness. The interrelationship between vitamin A and the individual hormones is also important. The sex organs show a high vitamin A content and ceases to function in vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A and thyroxine levels are interrelated. Normally, vitamin A in the presence of fats and bile is absorbed mainly from the intestine and stored in the liver.