vitamin a

• vitamin a helps with a healthy immune system
• vitamin a produces 'visual purple', helping vision in dim light
• vitamin a keeps mucous membranes moist (eg linings of nose, mouth and eyelids)
• vitamin a helps for good health and development in children
• a source of vitamin a is dairy products
• a source of vitamin a is egg yolks
• a source of vitamin a is oily fish
• a source of vitamin a is fortified low fat spreads
• a source of vitamin a is yellow, red and green (leafy) vegetables
• a source of vitamin a is yellow fruit
• not enough vitamin a can cause night blindness (however it is rare)
• not enough vitamin a reduces the bodys ability to fight infections
• not enough vitamin a can limit growth in children
• excess intake of vitamin a over years can affect bone health, increasing the risk of fractures in older age
• pregnant women should avoid liver and liver based foods as they contain high concentrations of vitamin a, which can cause birth defects
• the main vitamin a source is retinol