Everything2
Near Matches
Ignore Exact
Full Text
Everything2

vitamin A

created by The Alchemist

(thing) by The Alchemist (13.1 hr) (print)   ?   (I like it!) Sun Jun 11 2000 at 19:08:02

Also known as retinoic acid (C1C=CCC(C)(C)C1C=CC(C)=CC=CC(C)=CC=O(O)) it is the organic part of vision (as 11-cis retinol). It is also used in the skin. Alledgedly found in carrots, as an aid to night vision, its precursor (carotinoids) can be found in most vegetables. Eating too many carrots can make you turn orange :-(

More seriously, polar bear liver contains large amounts of vitamin D (as well as vitamin A) which is why you shouldn't eat (any :) liver (I hate liver). Only fat-soluble vitamins, like A and D (and some Bs) can be overdosed on. C is water soluble, and is simply excreted if taken in too large a quantity.


(thing) by alex.tan (4 y) (print)   ?   (I like it!) Wed Jun 21 2000 at 8:55:28

You can die of vitamin A overdose by eating polar bear liver. This has happened to a few hapless arctic explorers.

The Alchemist is right in that eating too many carrots can turn you orange. Sort of. It's not because of vitamin A overdose though. It's a care of carotenaemia, or too much beta-carotene, which is a metabolic precursor of vitamin A.


(thing) by witnie (4.5 y) (print)   ?   (I like it!) Thu Nov 02 2000 at 11:05:14

vitamin A Deficiency
The opposite of the rare situation of a vitamin A overdose, is the vitamin A deficiency which affects up to 230 million people (mostly children) in over 75 countries. The main effect is irreversible damage to the eyes, and it even may result in blindness. People with the deficiency do have little white spots in the iris of the eye; at first blocking only that part of their sight.

Check the WHO website at http://www.who.int/vaccines-diseases/diseases/vitamin_a.htm (or http://www.micronutrient.org/publications/vadkey.shtml) for more information and their plans how to combat the deficiency. Besides providing dietary supplements and "hitch hiking" with large scale immunization programs, there are ongoing projects to stimulate consumption of vitamin A-rich foods. An additional positive effect of the last mentioned approach is, that it stimulates the regional agri-business and is more sustainable than keeping on providing supplements. An example is the use of sweet potato (camote in spanish; another good source of beta-carotene, the precursor of vitamin A) in weaning food, which has been invesitgated at the CIP (www.cipotato.org).

printable version
chaos

Vitamin D Vitamin C beta-carotene My carrot funeral
asparagus Chef Boyardee Overstuffed Beef Ravioli Vitamin Zen Blend
Butterfinger McFlurry High Infection Protocol Vitamin K Polar bear
Antioxidant Vitamin E anencephaly WIC
Acne Vitamins are Good ZonePerfect Nutrition Bar International Unit
yujacha keratosis pilaris vegans beware NERICA
Y'know, if you log in, you can write something here, or contact authors directly on the site. Create a New User if you don't already have an account.
  Epicenter
Login
Password

password reminder
register

Everything2 Help

Cool Staff Picks
Just another sprinkling of indeterminacy
Strip club
Slave housing in the American South
A stitch in time saves nine
The Welsh Triads
The Question of the Patriarchs
models of fictional time travel physics
Parent's Day
Route 66
Flanders and Swann
Apocalyptic Themes in American Film
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Jerry Falwell
Babyklappe
New Writeups
SubSane
Making Love to a 9-Foot Woman(person)
Ouzo
Thoughts(idea)
antigravpussy
I fall silent, listening. The breadcrumbs are talking about us(person)
calgon
Buffalo Bill by the pool(poetry)
gate
Anarchy is Order(idea)
ushdfgakjasgh
Scribeling(thing)
XWiz
Trism(review)
artman2003
Briefcase Full of Souls - Part I(fiction)
Dreamvirus
Alan Ladd(person)
waverider37
Harold Holt(person)
The Debutante
Until death do us part(fiction)
Ysardo
a brother to a sister(personal)
antigravpussy
your warm whispers(personal)
Clarke
Multiculturalism(idea)
aneurin
Earl of Landaff(person)
E2 is a by-product of the existence of The Everything Development Company