Vitamin A and men
It’s important for men to make sure they’re meeting the 900 micrograms of vitamin A on a daily basis to maintain their optimal health. If a man isn’t getting his recommended dosage of vitamin A daily, he should take a dietary supplement.
Vitamin A is important because it:
- Aids in sexual maturation (this includes the immune system and sex glands)
- Assists prostate functionality, reproduction, and sperm development
- Battles infections
- Clears skin complexion
- Enhances sexual libido
- Improves sexual function and performance
- Maintains healthy cholesterol levels
- Manages the immune system, cell division and differentiation needs
- Promotes bone and dental health
- Protects the eye, intestine, respiratory, and urinary tract linings
- Provides needed nutrition for the hormone-producing adrenal glands
- Supplies healthy eyesight
- Supports testosterone activity levels
Where can vitamin A sources be found?
Vitamin A comes from animal and plant sources.
Tasty options include:
- beef liver
- broccoli
- butter
- cantaloupe
- carrots
- carrot juice
- cheese
- collard greens
- chicken
- liver
- eggs
- fish oil
- lamb liver
- lettuce
- milk
- orange fruits
- orange vegetables
- pork liver
- pumpkin
- yogurt
- turkey liver
- sweet potatoes
- winter squash, tomatoes
- yellow fruits
- yellow vegetables
All these foods are good sources of vitamin A
Prevent a Vitamin A Deficiency in Men
A deficiency of vitamin can only be the result as a lack of dietary intake. Men must take personal responsibility to make sure their diet includes this essential fat-soluble vitamin. Certainly, no one can do it for them. Keep reading to see what can happen if a man experiences a vitamin A deficiency.
It’s a depletion of beta-carotene that is believed to increase the risk of cancer when there’s a vitamin A deficiency. Beta-carotene is a well-known antioxidant and is known to reduce cancer risks. Further, beta-carotene has been proven to reduce lung cancer risk in smokers.
Some of the earliest warning signals of a vitamin A deficiency include anemia from an iron deficiency, follicular hyperkeratoinosis, cancer risk increase, night blindness, infection susceptibility (this includes AIDS, abscesses, boils, bronchitis, measles, and yeast infections), and vision quality decrease.
Continual deficiency of vitiman A includes risk for colored vision distortion; corneal blindness, degeneration, drying and softening; dry skin; hypokeratosis (white lumps on hair follicles); impaired immunity; loss of appetite, balance, smell and taste; night blindness; Bitot’s spots (triangular gray spots on the eye); secretion reduction of mucus membranes; deterioration of eye tissue, and skin disorders (this includes warts, rosacea, rashes, and psoriasis).
Find a great daily vitamin here.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_A
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminA/index.html
