Vitamin-A is a fat-soluble micronutrient metabolised into different chemical forms known as retinoids and has various functions including:
Foods Naturally high in Vit-A:
Sweet Potato, Carrots, Apricots, Spinach, Squash, Oily fish, Livers
Certain retinoids change structure when absorbing light. This structural shift is detected by opsin protein in our eye and relays signals through optic nerves to our brains.
ATRA (Vit-A) helps maintain skin’s upper layer epidermis and dermis cells by reinforcing structure and moisture.
ATRA also helps protect mucosal structures through cell maturation and mucin protein production.
ATRA (Vit-A) helps with gene transcription for the maturation and functional regulation of immune cells. Helping our body combat disease.
ATRA (Vit-A) helps unlock iron stores from the liver and intestines to mobilise iron across the body to be utilised by different enzymes.
ATRA (Vit-A) further stimulates red blood cell production via mediating transcription of the erythropoietin hormone.
Retinol (Vit A) helps keep energy levels constant and prevents excessive energy production by sensing Cytochrome 3+ levels and controlling production.
Note: This section details the cellular mechanics of Vit-A within the mitochondria. While retinol is scientifically understood to act as a homeostatic sensor to regulate cellular energy flux, "energy regulation" refers strictly to these internal biochemical pathways and is not an approved public health claim by the FDA or EFSA for dietary energy or fatigue enhancement.
