Vitamin A and its status in vegetarians and vegans


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Abstract

Vitamin A is an essential fat-soluble micronutrient. It is necessary for the normal functioning of epithelial tissues, replication of genetic materials, perception of light or for smoothly running the immune system. Provitamins A (carotenoids) are powerful antioxidants. They can also be precursors for not only retinol but also for the most active forms of vitamin A - retinal and retinoic acid. However, the reverse transformation doesn't take place, it is impossible to endogenously obtain carotenoids from retinol or its oxidized forms. The efficiency of converting carotenoids to retinol depends mainly on two factors. The first one is the type of carotenoid. β-carotene is converted to vitamin A twice as efficiently as other carotenoids, and the second factor is the bioavailability of the provitamin A. As fat-soluble substances, carotenoids are better absorbed in the presence of enough fats. Vitamin A deficiency is associated with the malfunction of visual system as a result of xerophthalmia or night blindness. In addition, the lack of vitamin A can cause deterioration of the skin and mucous membranes and may lead to a high infant mortality rate. At the same time, hypervitaminosis A is a serious teratogenic factor. An insufficient supply of carotenoids impairs the antioxidant defence mechanism of the body, which increases the risks of oxidative damage of cellular structures, and probably leads to cancerous diseases. Vitamin A is not synthesized by plants. Herbivorous and fruit-eating animals synthesize it from carotenoids obtained from plant foods but carnivores have almost lost this ability. Thus, only animal tissues are sources of vitamin A for them. As a result, vegetarians consume substantially less vitamin A than omnivores, and vegans don't consume vitamin A at all. However, they get much more carotenoids from their diet, and as a result, the total intake of retinol equivalent does not differ much among the groups. Serum β-carotene concentrations are generally higher in vegans. However, there is a disparity regarding the level of retinol. Thus, there is little evidence to date to conclude that any of the three groups has an increased risk of vitamin A deficiency compared to the others.

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About the authors

A. V Galchenko

Peoples' Friendship University of Russia

Email: gav.jina@gmail.com
Assistant at the Department of Medical Elementology

R. Ranjit

Peoples' Friendship University of Russia

Email: rajesh.ranjit@mail.ru
Resident at the Department of Oncology and Radiology

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