Vitamin A: The Baby Boomers' Helper to Young Skin
Vitamin A is a fat soluble Vitamin which your body does not produce, so needs to be taken in through your diet. It is also an antioxidant vitamin. And Baby Boomers love
antioxidants
because they help to keep your body young and healthy. When absorbed from animal food, the active form of this vitamin is Retinol, which is a yellow, fat – soluble substance. When absorbed from plant food, the active form is Retinal, derived from Carotenes (most commonly alpha – carotene and beta – carotene).
So what are the Anti Aging benefits of Vitamin A? i) It is essential for supporting healthy eye sight, bone growth and a strong immune system. ii) It is important in the life cycle of skin cells. Retinol is converted to Retinoic Acid (also known as Tretinoin or Retin-A) in your skin. Compared with the skin enhancing benefits of other substances, Retinol has a good track record of skin age reversal and acne clearing benefits. Retinol also seems to increase skin exfoliation, helping to clear blocked pores. Research carried out at the University Michigan Medical School demonstrated that applying this Vitamin to the skin can improve the wrinkles associated with natural aging and assist in promoting the production of skin-building compounds. Their Research concluded that Topical Retinol improves fine wrinkles associated with natural aging. ii) As an Anti Aging Vitamin and antioxidant, it assists in the process of skin repair by producing enzymes that stabilize the production of Collagen.
How Can I get this Vitamin into my Diet? Good sources of this Vitamin include: Eggs Liver Broccoli Spinach Tomato Juice Red, Yellow and Green Peppers Full fat dairy products Yellow / Orange fruit and vegetables: apricots, mango, squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes. Be aware though that taking too much in your diet (such as over supplementation with capsules) can lead to toxicity and in extreme cases may be life threatening.
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