By Paul Garcia
We need to take fresh look at how we get vitamin A from our diets, because you’re likely not getting enough of it. And you and your family’s health may be suffering as a result.
There’s been some confusion in the literature lately about which foods best provide our daily requirement of this important nutrient, and I hope this post provides some needed clarity.
Most people have heard of “beta-carotene” (a vitamin A precursor) which is found in colorful fruits and vegetables like carrots, bell peppers and sweet potatoes, and most people think that they get all the vitamin A they need from these foods. After all beta-carotene is vitamin A right?
The truth is beta-carotene is not the form of vitamin A that our bodies use. The form of vitamin A that we actually require is called retinol. So unless beta-carotene gets converted into retinol it’s useless- at least as a source of vitamin A.
Old-school science taught us that the body readily converts beta-carotene into retinol. And while some of it does make the conversion, recent studies have shown that it could be as little as 3%. Also, we are learning that 45% of adults are genetically non-converters, meaning they convert absolutely zero beta-carotene into retinol. In other words, roughly one half of all adults get no bioavailable vitamin A from fruit and vegetable sources.
This means that fruits and vegetables don’t provide adequate amounts of vitamin A for close to half of adults. I’m not saying that these aren’t healthy foods, because they are and should be consumed frequently. However, I am saying that they’re not good sources of vitamin A.
Animal products are the only foods that contain significant amounts of pre-formed retinol, the usable form of vitamin A. The best sources are fatty fish (such as salmon, sardines, and tuna), egg yolks, liver and grass-fed meats and dairy products including butter!
Deficiencies of vitamin A are more common than you would expect. Recent surveys conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) estimate that 54% of American men and women don’t get adequate levels of vitamin A.
Vitamin A (retinol) is required for general health, conception, normal fetal formation and for life itself. It’s especially important for the health of the eyes, lungs, bones, skin and immune system. Low levels during pregnancy can result in a 74% increased chance of premature delivery and birth defects. Infants born to vitamin A deficient moms can suffer from chronic lung diseases, blindness or vision problems, stunted growth, compromised bone growth, anemia, asthma, and deficient immune function.
So go get your vitamin A on!