Vitamin A Deficiency: Consequences and Solutions

Your body functions day and night to support the lifestyle you wish to live, making it your duty to provide an adequate diet. Vitamins and minerals are crucial for your body to perform all the activities that you want to explore. One such vitamin is Vitamin A, which ensures a robust immune system to fight off diseases, help with vision, and keep your skin healthy and youthful. Simply put, Vitamin A is your body's superhero! It keeps your vision sharp, fights off infections, and gives your skin that radiant glow. It’s essential for cell growth and helps babies develop in the womb. 

Understanding the human body's complexities in the early stages of life can be challenging; however, if you get the basics, you can transform your body for productivity.  Let’s take it one thing at a time and understand the importance of Vitamin A deficiency. 

Understanding Vitamin A Deficiency

Vitamin A is an integral part of a healthy body and mind, supporting several activities.  A lack of vitamin A can lead to deficiency, which can challenge daily life chores. 

Vitamin A, despite being crucial for your body, is not produced naturally, thus making it essential to add it from external sources such as fruits, drinks, and vegetables. Not eating a diet with enough vitamins can hamper your body’s growth and impair vision. 

While vitamin A deficiency is concerning, treating it is relatively simple. Read on to learn about the causes of vitamin A deficiency, its consequences, and solutions. 

Look Out for These Signs and Symptoms of Vitamin A Deficiency

Your body is your friend who will always tell you when something is wrong. Similarly, observing the below-mentioned common signs and symptoms can help you understand if your body lacks Vitamin A

Dry Skin

Vitamin A is mainly responsible for repairing your body's cells, and dry skin indicates deficiency.

Dry Eyes

Have you ever felt your eyes dry even if you wash them frequently? This might be a symptom of vitamin A deficiency, which must be addressed. 

Throat and Chest Infection

Vitamin A supports clear vision and builds a robust immune system to fight infections. So, if you are getting frequent throat and chest infections, remember that your body is trying to send you signals of Vitamin A deficiency. 

What are the Consequences of Vitamin A Deficiency?

Now that you know what Vitamin A deficiency is, you might wonder what happens if you have vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A supports your immune system, aids physical growth and is a magical wand for your vision. A lack of Vitamin A can result in multiple challenges that your body has to face daily, including:

Bad Vision

Facing the challenge of a lousy vision is directly linked to a lack of vitamin A. While it might not be the only reason, vitamin A deficiency is one. 

Weak Immune System

The immune system's sole purpose is to fight off diseases. A weak immune system means constant colds, coughs, skin irritation, deficiency diseases, and other conditions, including a weather-sensitive body.

Night Blindness

Sure, humans can't see in the dark. However, seeing things in low light would be easier with enough vitamin A. 

Stunted Growth

A lack of vitamins in children can hamper their mental and physical growth. 

Learn How to Treat Vitamin A Deficiency

If a lack of vitamin A can lead to severe conditions and everyday challenges, you would want to fix it. Vitamin A is found in several food and liquid items that you must make a part of your everyday diet. Take a look at this list of vitamin A sources: 

Liver

Liver meat has the highest amount of Vitamin A. Just one serving provides an adequate amount for the week.

Fish

Shellfish and cod liver oil are good choices in your diet to boost vitamin A.

Vegetables

You might not like the taste of vegetables like pumpkin and carrot, but they are the richest source of vitamin A. Additionally, green and leafy vegetables can help your body produce vitamin A within weeks of eating.

Dairy Products

Milk and soft cheese are vitamin A foods that must be a part of your meal and can easily be included in your daily diet. 

Fruits

One can not stress enough the importance of eating fruits, especially mangoes, papayas, melons, and apricots, to help treat a Vitamin A deficiency. 

Take a Look at These Interesting Vitamin A Facts

You may have heard the importance of Vitamins and minerals a zillion times from people around you. However, learning interesting facts and trivia is a great way to develop an interest in healthy eating. So here’s a list of facts on Vitamin A that makes a good read:

1. Vitamin A deficiency is found in people in Africa and Southeast Asia, including India.
2. Preschoolers are at the highest risk of Vitamin A deficiency because of improper diet.
3. A need for Vitamin A deficiency treatment can be easily diagnosed by looking at the signs and symptoms and mainly does not require a formal test. However, a detailed blood test and body check might be needed for severe conditions, which can be made easier with a health insurance plan like Care Health Insurance.
4. Carrots are the most popular and recommended option to increase Vitamin A.
5. Despite being a vital element, vitamin A can cause toxicity if taken in an unmeasured form. On average, a person needs 3000 mg of Vitamin A every day, which can be easily obtained through vegetables and fruits.
6. Lack of Vitamin A creates challenges in conceiving and pregnancy, as well.

Also Read: How to Increase Platelet Count Fast?

Wrapping Up!

Vitamin A is essential for your body to grow and function properly. A deficiency can make your daily life challenging by impairing your vision, causing skin irritation, and weakening your immune system. While it is essential and can cause severe conditions, treating Vitamin A deficiency is rather easy, as it requires a few changes in your diet. Embrace your inner superhero with Vitamin A!

Mix up your diet by adding green vegetables, milk, fish, and liver, which are vitamin A-rich foods, to your daily diet, and you are sorted.

As a woke person with health conditions, get on a health insurance plan from Care Health Insurance to easily fight a medical condition and get frequent health checkups to keep track of your body.

Disclaimer: The above information is for reference purposes only. Kindly consult your general physician for verified medical advice. The health insurance benefits are subject to policy terms and conditions. Refer to your policy documents for more information.