What To Know About Vitamin A Deficiency

What is vitamin A? Vitamin A is a nutrient that promotes normal vision and helps maintain the immune system. It also helps the heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organs work properly. Vitamin A is in a group of fat-soluble vitamins that includes vitamins D, E, and K. The body stores fat-soluble vitamins like these in the liver and fatty tissues.

The recommended dietary allowance of vitamin A is the average daily intake level sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of nearly all healthy individuals in each age and gender group.

Who is at risk for not getting enough vitamin A?

People who do not eat meat (including fish or poultry) or dairy products are at risk for not getting enough vitamin A. Other people who are at risk include those who have trouble absorbing fats from foods and those with certain diseases of the intestines. Some groups of people may need more vitamin A than others including pregnant women and women who are breast-feeding.

Vitamin A deficiency is rare in developed countries due to availability of animal and plant foods rich in vitamin A. However, it remains a major public health issue in the developing world.

What happens when you don’t get enough vitamin A?

Inadequate intakes of vitamin A can result from inadequate amounts in the diet or from an inability to properly absorb, transport or utilize the nutrient. Inadequate intake over time can lead to clinical deficiencies, which can be serious and life-threatening.

A lack of dietary vitamin A may lead to less than optimal immune function and night blindness. Vitamin A deficiency may also increase risk of infection and mortality.

A lack of vitamin A can lead to night-blindness and a complete inability to see in low light. Vitamin A also supports the normal growth and development of epithelial tissue, which forms the outer layer of our skin. Thus, a lack of this vitamin can cause dryness to the skin and mucous membranes. Dryness of the conjunctiva is called xerophthalmia, causing dry eye and sometimes blindness. If left untreated xerophthalmia may progress to keratomalacia where the cornea initiates necrotic tissue death. This may ultimately lead to perforation of the eyeball and blindness.