Benefits of vitamins - A

Though vitamin A is often considered a singular nutrient, it’s really a group of fat-soluble compounds, including retinol, retinal, and retinyl esters (1, 2).

 

Two forms of vitamin A are found in food.

  • Preformed vitamin A — retinol and retinyl esters — occurs exclusively in animal products such as dairy, liver, and fish, while provitamin A carotenoids are abundant in plant foods like fruits, vegetables, and oils (3).
  • To use both of these forms of vitamin A, your body must convert them to retinal and retinoic acid, the active forms of the vitamin.
  • Because vitamin A is fat-soluble, it’s stored in body tissue for later use.
  • Most of the vitamin A in your body is kept in your liver in the form of retinyl esters (4).
  • These esters are then broken down into all-trans-retinol, which binds to retinol-binding protein. It then enters your bloodstream, at which point your body can use it (5). Read more…

Summary – “Vitamin A” is the generic term for a group of fat-soluble compounds found in both animal and plant foods.

Vitamin A is essential for your health. It supports cell growth, immune function, fetal development, and vision.

  • Perhaps one of the best-known functions of vitamin A is its role in vision and eye health.
  • Retinal, the active form of vitamin A, combines with the protein opsin to form rhodopsin, a molecule necessary for color vision and low light vision (6).
  • It also helps protect and maintain the cornea, which is the outermost layer of your eye, and the conjunctiva, a thin membrane that covers the surface of your eye and the inside of your eyelids (7).
  • Additionally, vitamin A helps maintain surface tissues such as your skin, intestines, lungs, bladder, and inner ear.
  • It supports immune function by supporting the growth and distribution of T cells, a type of white blood cells that protect your body from infection (8).
  • What’s more, vitamin A supports skin cell health, male and female reproductive health, and fetal development (9Trusted Source).

Trusted So

Additionally, vitamin A helps maintain surface tissues such as your skin, intestines, lungs, bladder, and inner ear.

Potent antioxidant

  • Provitamin A carotenoids such as beta carotene, alpha carotene, and beta cryptoxanthin are precursors of vitamin A and have antioxidant properties.
  • Carotenoids protect your body from free radicals — highly reactive molecules that can harm your body by creating oxidative stress (10).
  • Oxidative stress has been linked to chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline (11).
  • Diets high in carotenoids are associated with a lower risk of many of these conditions, such as heart disease, lung cancer, and diabetes (12, 13, 14).

May protect against certain cancers

  • Due to their antioxidant properties, carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables may protect against certain types of cancer.
  • For example, a study in more than 10,000 adults found that smokers with the highest blood levels of alpha carotene and beta cryptoxanthin had a 46% and 61% lower risk of dying from lung cancer, respectively, than nonsmokers with the lowest intake of these nutrients (16).
  • What’s more, test-tube studies demonstrate that retinoids may inhibit the growth of certain cancer cells, such as bladder, breast, and ovarian cancer cells (17).

Vital for fertility and fetal development

  • Vitamin A is essential for both male and female reproduction because it plays a role in sperm and egg development.
  • It’s also critical for placental health, fetal tissue development and maintenance, and fetal growth (9).
  • Therefore, vitamin A is integral to the health of pregnant people and their developing babies, as well as people who are trying to become pregnant.

Boosts your immune system

  • Vitamin A impacts immune health by stimulating responses that protect your body from illnesses and infections.
  • Vitamin A is involved in the creation of certain cells, including B cells and T cells, which play central roles in immune responses that guard against disease.
  • A deficiency in this nutrient leads to increased levels of pro-inflammatory molecules that diminish immune system response and function (18).

Essential for eye health and preventing macular degeneration

  • As mentioned above, vitamin A is essential to vision and eye health.
  • Adequate dietary intake of vitamin A helps protect against certain eye diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  • Studies show that higher blood levels of beta carotene, alpha carotene, and beta cryptoxanthin may reduce your risk of AMD by up to 25% (15).
  • This risk reduction is linked to carotenoid nutrients’ protection of macular tissue by lowering levels of oxidative stress.

Royal jelly may protect your heart and circulatory system by reducing blood pressure. Several test-tube studies indicate that specific proteins in royal jelly relax smooth muscle cells in your veins and arteries, thereby lowering blood pressure (15Trusted Source).

 

A recent animal study examined a supplement combining royal jelly with other bee-derived substances and found a significant reduction in blood pressure. However, the exact role royal jelly played in this supplement is unclear (16Trusted Source).

 

More research is needed to understand royal jelly’s relationship with blood pressure.

Royal jelly may also improve blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.

However, research on this topic is limited.

Royal jelly may boost brain function. One study revealed that stress-induced mice treated with royal jelly had lower levels of stress hormones and a more robust central nervous system than the control group (20Trusted Source).

  • A separate study resulted in improved memory and reduced symptoms of depression in postmenopausal rats given royal jelly (21Trusted Source).
  • Another animal study showed that rats treated with royal jelly were better able to remove certain chemical deposits in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease (8Trusted Source).
  • Most of these studies attribute the protective effect on brain and nervous tissue to royal jelly’s antioxidant capacity.

Though this data is encouraging, human research is needed.

Royal jelly may treat dry eyes when taken orally. One animal and one small human study showed improvements in chronic dry eyes for those treated orally with royal jelly. The results indicate that this bee-derived substance may increase tear secretion from lacrimal glands within your eyes (22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).

  • No adverse effects were reported from the human study. Thus, royal jelly could serve as a low-risk solution for chronic dry eyes.
  • Keep in mind that this very small data sample doesn’t indicate that royal jelly is able to treat most people’s dry eyes.

Ultimately, more research is needed.

Royal jelly may slow the aging process in several ways. A few studies show increased lifespan and improved cognitive performance in rats treated orally with royal jelly (24Trusted Source).

  • Royal jelly is sometimes included in topical skin care products to support maintenance of healthy, younger-looking skin.
  • Animal research indicates that royal jelly may support increased collagen production and protection from skin damage associated with UV radiation exposure (12Trusted Source, 25Trusted Source).
  • Since human research on the anti-aging benefits of oral or topical royal jelly use is insufficient, more studies are needed.

विटामिन - A के फ़ायदे

हालांकि विटामिन A को अक्सर एक ही पोषक तत्व माना जाता है, लेकिन असल में यह फैट में घुलने वाले कंपाउंड्स का एक ग्रुप है, जिसमें रेटिनॉल, रेटिनल और रेटिनिल एस्टर शामिल हैं(1, 2)।

खाने में विटामिन A के दो रूप पाए जाते हैं।

  • प्रीफॉर्म्ड विटामिन A — रेटिनॉल और रेटिनिल एस्टर — सिर्फ़ जानवरों से मिलने वाली चीज़ों जैसे डेयरी, लिवर और मछली में पाया जाता है, जबकि प्रोविटामिन A कैरोटीनॉयड फलों, सब्ज़ियों और तेलों जैसे पौधों से मिलने वाले खाने में भरपूर मात्रा में होते हैं (3)।
  • विटामिन A के इन दोनों रूपों का इस्तेमाल करने के लिए, आपके शरीर को इन्हें रेटिनल और रेटिनोइक एसिड में बदलना होता है, जो विटामिन के एक्टिव रूप हैं।
  • क्योंकि विटामिन A फैट में घुलनशील होता है, इसलिए यह बाद में इस्तेमाल के लिए शरीर के टिश्यू में जमा हो जाता है।
  • आपके शरीर में ज़्यादातर विटामिन A लिवर में रेटिनिल एस्टर के रूप में जमा रहता है (4)।
  • इसके बाद ये एस्टर ऑल-ट्रांस-रेटिनॉल में टूट जाते हैं, जो रेटिनॉल-बाइंडिंग प्रोटीन से जुड़ जाता है। फिर यह आपके ब्लडस्ट्रीम में पहुँचता है, जहाँ से आपका शरीर इसका इस्तेमाल कर सकता है (5)। और पढ़ें…

सारांश – “विटामिन A” फैट में घुलने वाले कंपाउंड्स के उस ग्रुप के लिए इस्तेमाल होने वाला आम नाम है जो जानवरों और पौधों से मिलने वाले खाने, दोनों में पाया जाता है।

विटामिन A आपकी सेहत के लिए ज़रूरी है। यह सेल की ग्रोथ, इम्यून सिस्टम के काम, भ्रूण के विकास और देखने की क्षमता में मदद करता है।

  • शायद विटामिन A का सबसे जाना-माना काम देखने की क्षमता और आँखों की सेहत में इसकी भूमिका है।
  • रेटिनल, जो विटामिन A का एक्टिव रूप है, ऑप्सिन प्रोटीन के साथ मिलकर रोडोप्सिन बनाता है। यह मॉलिक्यूल रंग पहचानने और कम रोशनी में देखने के लिए ज़रूरी है (6)।
  • यह कॉर्निया (आपकी आँख की सबसे बाहरी परत) और कंजंक्टिवा (एक पतली झिल्ली जो आपकी आँख की सतह और पलकों के अंदरूनी हिस्से को ढंकती है) की सुरक्षा और उन्हें ठीक रखने में भी मदद करता है (7)।
  • इसके अलावा, विटामिन A त्वचा, आंतों, फेफड़ों, मूत्राशय और कान के अंदरूनी हिस्से जैसे अंगों की सतह के टिशू को ठीक रखने में मदद करता है।
  • यह T-सेल्स की ग्रोथ और फैलाव में मदद करके इम्यून सिस्टम को मज़बूत बनाता है। T-सेल्स एक तरह की व्हाइट ब्लड सेल्स होती हैं जो आपके शरीर को इन्फेक्शन से बचाती हैं (8)।
  • साथ ही, विटामिन A त्वचा की कोशिकाओं की सेहत, पुरुषों और महिलाओं की प्रजनन क्षमता और भ्रूण के विकास में भी मदद करता है (9)।

Both animal and human studies demonstrate that royal jelly may positively impact cholesterol levels and thereby reduce heart disease risk. Though the exact mechanism remains unclear, specific proteins in royal jelly may help lower cholesterol (7Trusted Source).

  • One 12-week study found that rabbits supplemented with royal jelly significantly reduced their total and “bad” LDL cholesterol levels by 28% and 23%, respectively (8Trusted Source).
  • Similarly, a one-month human study saw an 11% and 4% reduction in total and “bad” LDL cholesterol levels in people taking about 3 grams of royal jelly daily (9Trusted Source).
  • Conversely, another small human study determined no significant differences in cholesterol levels between participants treated with royal jelly and those on a placebo (10Trusted Source).

While these studies are promising, more research is needed to better understand royal jelly’s impact on heart health.

Royal jelly — both used orally and topically — may support wound healing and other inflammatory skin conditions. It’s known to have an antibacterial effect, which can keep wounds clean and free from infection (11Trusted Source).

  • One animal study revealed an increase in collagen production in rats given royal jelly extract. Collagen is a structural protein vital for skin repair (12Trusted Source).
  • A test-tube study showed significantly enhanced tissue repair capacity in human cells treated with royal jelly (13Trusted Source).
  • Conversely, a more recent human study did not notice any difference in wound healing between a control group and participants treating diabetic foot ulcers topically with royal jelly (14Trusted Source).

Ultimately, more research is needed on royal jelly’s effects on wound healing and tissue repair.

Royal jelly may protect your heart and circulatory system by reducing blood pressure. Several test-tube studies indicate that specific proteins in royal jelly relax smooth muscle cells in your veins and arteries, thereby lowering blood pressure (15Trusted Source).

 

A recent animal study examined a supplement combining royal jelly with other bee-derived substances and found a significant reduction in blood pressure. However, the exact role royal jelly played in this supplement is unclear (16Trusted Source).

 

More research is needed to understand royal jelly’s relationship with blood pressure.

Royal jelly may also improve blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.

However, research on this topic is limited.

Royal jelly may boost brain function. One study revealed that stress-induced mice treated with royal jelly had lower levels of stress hormones and a more robust central nervous system than the control group (20Trusted Source).

  • A separate study resulted in improved memory and reduced symptoms of depression in postmenopausal rats given royal jelly (21Trusted Source).
  • Another animal study showed that rats treated with royal jelly were better able to remove certain chemical deposits in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease (8Trusted Source).
  • Most of these studies attribute the protective effect on brain and nervous tissue to royal jelly’s antioxidant capacity.

Though this data is encouraging, human research is needed.

Royal jelly may treat dry eyes when taken orally. One animal and one small human study showed improvements in chronic dry eyes for those treated orally with royal jelly. The results indicate that this bee-derived substance may increase tear secretion from lacrimal glands within your eyes (22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).

  • No adverse effects were reported from the human study. Thus, royal jelly could serve as a low-risk solution for chronic dry eyes.
  • Keep in mind that this very small data sample doesn’t indicate that royal jelly is able to treat most people’s dry eyes.

Ultimately, more research is needed.

Royal jelly may slow the aging process in several ways. A few studies show increased lifespan and improved cognitive performance in rats treated orally with royal jelly (24Trusted Source).

  • Royal jelly is sometimes included in topical skin care products to support maintenance of healthy, younger-looking skin.
  • Animal research indicates that royal jelly may support increased collagen production and protection from skin damage associated with UV radiation exposure (12Trusted Source, 25Trusted Source).
  • Since human research on the anti-aging benefits of oral or topical royal jelly use is insufficient, more studies are needed.
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