The Versatile Vitamin A as Beta Carotene

Its major roles include supporting reproduction and growth, promoting vision, and participating in protein synthesis and cell differentiation thereby maintaining the health of epithelial tissues and skin.

Benefits of Vitamin A

The A vitamin, taken as Beta Carotene, is one of the best vitamins for the health and maintenance of your skin, as it helps you maintain the integrity of the elasticity of your skin. To keep youthful and combat aging, you should consume Vitamin A supplement daily!

Beta Carotene, Vitamin B Complex, and Vitamin E are the most important vitamins for good skin maintenance! Many studies have been done in the last twenty years, of the side effects of taking a Beta Carotene supplement. Some conclusions were wildly enthusiastic however some were borderline alarmist. The varied conclusions were based largely on intrinsically flawed methods, peculiar dosing regimens, skewed patient populations, and varied supplement forms. This made a sensible interpretation down right impossible.

However, there was one consistency across the board; that people who consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables over a lifetime, are generally healthier and have a lower risk of heart attack, stroke, cancer, and dementia, than people whose intake of fresh fruits and vegetables is limited.

The National Cancer Institute in China found that taking just 15 mg. of beta carotene daily along with Selenium and Vitamin E, reduced the incidence of lung cancer in smokers.

The Harvard Nurses Study of 87,000 women found that high intake of the A Vitamin reduced the risk of heart disease by 22%. In women consuming the highest amounts of Vitamin C, E and A, the risk of heart disease dropped by almost 50%. High intakes of all three vitamins reduced the risk of stroke by 54%.

A study done at the University of Arizona found that older men and women taking 30-60 mg of supplement A vitamin daily for 2 months, increased the number of natural killer T Helper Cells and activated lymphocytes.

The ongoing Physicians Study in Boston found that Prostate Cancer was 36% more likely to develop in men with the lowest Beta Carotene consumption.

Researchers at M.D. Anderson Cancer center in Houston found that middle aged men who consumed foods rich in vitamin C and A, had a significantly lower risk mortality than their counterparts who ate less of those nutrients.

Due to low consumption of fruits and vegetables, many young adults do not consume enough beta-carotene. In addition, if you smoke cigarettes and/or drink alcohol, you may have very low blood levels of beta-carotene. Statistically, smokers and drinkers eat fewer foods that contain beta-carotene. Also, researchers suspect that cigarette smoke destroys carotenoids.

If you do smoke or drink, you may want to take Vitamin A with caution. The results of two research studies indicate that those who smoke heavily and drink alcohol regularly, may increase their chance of developing lung cancer and/or heart disease if they take beta-carotene supplements in amounts greater than 20-30 milligrams per day.

Unlike supplements, foods rich in beta-carotene pose no known lung cancer risk. Synthetic beta-carotene supplements may increase the risk of both colo-rectal and lung cancer in smokers, especially those who also drink alcohol regularly.

A study published in January 2004, indicated that beta-carotene consumed as part of whole foods has no such negative effects. This study pooled data from seven large cohort studies running between 7 and 16 years and involved a population of 399,765 participants in North America and Europe. Researchers found that beta-carotene from foods were not associated with any increased risk of lung cancer among current smokers or non-smokers.

Therefore, it is also recommended that you take a Beta Carotene supplement that is 'natural' rather than 'synthetic'.

Foods with the most naturally occurring Beta Carotene activity are brightly colored – green, yellow, orange, and red.

Foods that Contain High Amounts of Beta Carotene Naturally

Other foods which contain Vitamin A include: kale, spinach, turnip greens, winter squash, collard greens, cilantro and fresh thyme.

Benefits of Beta Carotene Foods