Tip 255. Vitamin A, the Forgotten Vitamin
The vitamin of the day is vitamin A.
Known as anti-ophthalmic, vitamin A is ess
e
ntial
for growth and vitality. It builds up r
e
sistance
to respirato
r
y and other infections a
n
d works mainly on the eyes, lungs, stomach and intestin
e
s
. It
prevents eye diseas
e
s and plays a vital role in
nourishing
t
he skin and
hair. It helps to pr
ev
ent premature ageing
a
nd senility,
i
ncreases
l
i
f
e expectancy and exte
n
ds youthfulness. The main sources of
t
his vitamin are fish liver
oil, liver, whole milk, cu
r
ds, pure
ghee, butte
r
, cheese, c
r
eam and egg yolk, green leafy and certain yell
o
w root vege
t
ables s
u
ch
as spin
a
c
h, lettuce, turnip, beets, ca
r
rot, cabbage and tomato and ripe frui
t
s
such
a
s
p
r
unes, mangoes, papayas, apricots, peac
h
es, almonds and other
d
ry fruits. A prolonged de
f
iciency of vitamin A
may result in inflammation
of the eyes, poor vision
frequent colds, night blindness
and increased suscep
ti
bility to infections, l
a
ck of
appetite a
n
d vigour, defective teeth and gums and skin
d
isorders.
The recommended daily allowance of vitamin A
is 5,000 int
e
rnational units for adults
and 2,600
to 4,000 int
e
rnational units for childr
e
n. When taken in large
t
herapeutic
d
oses, which
are usually 25,
0
00 to 50,000 units a day, it is hi
g
hly beneficial
in
t
he treatment of head a
n
d chest colds, sinus
trouble, infl
u
enza and o
t
her infectio
u
s
diseases.
I
t is also
valuable in curi
n
g night
blindness
a
nd other eye diseas
e
s
as well as many stubborn skin disorde
r
s. This vit
a
min can be given upto 1,00,000 uni
t
s
a day for a limited period of four weeks under
doctor's su
p
ervision.
In a recent year-long st
u
dy, huge doses of vitamin A given twice a year reduced death by
about 30 p
e
r cent among Indonesi
a
n children.
T
his has raised the hope
in the fight
a
gainst a significant cause of childhood mortality in developing count
r
ies.
Tip 256. Vitamin B for the Brain
Rem
e
mber
B for brain.
Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid,
helps in cell building, main
t
aining normal growth and developme
n
t of the cent
r
al nervous system. It stimulates the adrenal gla
n
ds and incr
e
ases the production
o
f cortisone
a
nd other adrenal hormones. It is
e
ss
e
ntial for co
nv
ersion of fatty and sugar to en
e
rgy. It also helps guard
a
gainst most
physical and mental stresses and t
o
xins and increases vi
t
ality. The main sourc
e
s
of this vitamin are whole grain bread
and cereals,
green vegetables, peas, beans, peanuts a
n
d egg yolk. It can be synthesised
in
t
he body by
i
ntestinal bacteria. A
deficiency can cause c
h
ronic fatigu
e
, hypoglycaemia, greyi
n
g and loss
o
f hair,
mental
depression,
st
om
ach
disorders,
blood
a
nd
skin
d
is
o
rders.
The minim
u
m daily req
u
irement of this vitamin has not been
e
s
tablishe
d
,
but is es
t
imated to be between 30 and 50 mg a day. The usual therape
u
tic dos
e
s
a
r
e 50 to 200
mg In some
studies,
1,000 mg or more were
given daily for six moths without side effects. It
is useful in t
h
e treatment of insomnia, low blood pressure and
hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar.
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