What does vitamin A do, and where do I find it?

Vitamin A is the collective term for a group of unsaturated, fat-soluble, organic compounds, including retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid. It’s an essential micronutrient, meaning the body can’t produce it by itself, and we need to get it through food.

Many foods contain provitamin A. This is the name given to compounds that can be converted into an active form of vitamin A inside the small intestines. The active vitamin A compounds are then carried around the body in the bloodstream to various tissues and organs.

Vitamin A is vital for normal vision, healthy skin, immune function, embryonic growth and development, and cell growth and differentiation. Deficiencies in this nutrient can result in night blindness, childhood blindness, and weakened immunity.

Foods that are abundant in vitamin A include red, orange, and yellow vegetables, fruits, liver, fish, eggs, and dairy products.