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Vitamin A - Health Benefits

Date reviewed: 5 July 2015 | Date updated: 5 July 2015

Vitamin A is essential for good health. Some of the main health benefits for vitamin A are:

• Vitamin A helps the immune system fight off infection - vitamin A has an enhancing effect on the immune system due to its powerful antioxidant properties
• Vitamin A helps with respiratory illnesses - many studies show that people who suffer from asthma, sinusitis and bronchitis improve significantly and have less incidence of infection and severity of symptoms when they are given vitamin A supplements. Studies also show that vitamin A builds resistance to the respiratory infections and illness
• Vitamin A reduces hay fever and associated allergies - many studies show that people who suffer from allergic rhinnitis (or hayfever, which can happen all year-round, not just in spring) get major relief from their symptoms when they are supplemented with vitamin A.
• Vitamin A is necessary for good eyesight - Vitamin A is found in the mucous cells of the respiratory system and it helps to keep these cells moist and flexible, so that when any pathogen such as virus or bacteri) enters, these cells and tissues are able to eject the pathogen easily and resist infection
• Vitamin A helps with night blindness - vitamin A helps you see better in the dark, because it tops up all the Vitamin A in your retina
• Vitamin A may prevent cataracts - vitamin A (and betacarotene) help mop up the free radicals which damage the lens of the eye and cause cataracts
• Vitamin A may prevent macular degeneration - vitamin A (together with vitamin C and vitamin E) is so vital for preventing or slowing down the development of progression of macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness.
• Vitamin A prevents heart disease - research shows that people who eat foods high in vitamin A (and betacarotene) have a much lowered risk for developing any type of heart disease (high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, high triglycerides) and this reduces the risk for heart attack or stroke.
• Preserving eyesight - vitamin A helps prevent age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) which causes blindness
• Preventing heart attacks and heart disease - people who eat foods high in Vitamin A (and betacarotene) have fewer heart attacks and strokes

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