Vitamin A Deficiency

Depletion of the body’s Vitamin A stores is brought about by a prolonged intake of diet lacking in vitamin A.

Aside from promoting good night vision, Vitamin A plays a host of other important roles. It plays a part in:

• Promoting health of mucus membranes and skin

• Bone growth

• Reproduction

• Maintenance of cell membrane stability

• Helping the adrenal glands to synthesize a hormone

• Helping to ensure a normal output of thyroxine from the thyroid gland

• Helping to maintain nerve cell coverings

• Assisting in immune reactions

• Helping to manufacture red blood cells

With all these and other functions, you can just imagine the terrible problems that arise when Vitamin A is lacking or absent in the body.

The body can store up to one year’s supply of vitamin A, keeping 90% in the liver. Deficiency symptoms will only start to appear after your stores are depleted. Appearance of symptoms suggests that you have stopped eating good food sources of Vitamin A for quite some time.

Probable Causes

• Prolonged starvation

• Too little food intake

• Anorexia (See Underweight)

• Zinc deficiency (plays a major role in Vitamin A bioavailability)

• Poor food choices (lack of variety)

• Refusal to eat vegetables

Probable Symptoms
Area Affected	Main Effects	Technical Name for Symptoms
Eye       Retina       Membranes                General        Drying       (mildest         form)   Skin GI Tract Respiratory Tract Urogenital Tract Bones Teeth Nervous System Immune System Blood	Night Blindness Failure to secrete mucopolysaccharide causes change in epithelial tissue Triangular gray spots on eye Irreversible drying and degeneration of the cornea causes blindness (most severe) The eye’s symptoms of Vitamin A deficiency   Hair follicles plug with keratin, forming white lumps Changes in lining; diarrhea Changes in lining; infections Changes in lining favor Calcium deposition, resulting in kidney stones, bladder disorders Infections of bladder and kidney Infections of vagina Bone growth ceases; shapes of bones change; joints are painful Enamel-forming cells malfunction; teeth develop cracks and tend to decay; dentin-forming cells atrophy Brain and spinal cord grow too fast for stunted skull and spine; injury to brain and nerves causes paralysis Depression of immune reactions Anemia, often masked by dehydration	Xerophthalmia Xerosis Bitot’s spots Keratomalacia Hyperkeratinization Hyperkeratosis

Helpful Dietary Management

• Eat a balanced diet including dark green leafy and yellow vegetables. (See Foods Rich in Vitamin A)

Reference: Healing Wonders of Diet Effective Guide to Diet Therapy p.66-67 © 2003 Philippine Publishing House ISBN 971-581-013-6