What are our food sources of vitamin A?

We can obtain vitamin A from the fat of animals, birds and fish

But. . . only in significant amounts if their diet includes vitamin A or carotenes – as found in diets of livestock/birds/fish consuming green pasture, insects, fish meal and plankton. Retinol (converted by the body to retinal, retinoic acid, + others) is the most usable form of vitamin A and is found in the following sources of animal, bird or fish fat:

• Oily fish
• Liver and other organ meat (e.g. kidney)
• Whole milk and products (e.g. butterfat, cream, cheese) from grass-fed animals – Low fat milk has synthetic vitamin A added (because it doesn’t contain much fat).
• Egg yolks and chicken from pastured hens, i.e. grass-fed, insect-eating hens
• Shellfish (not recommended because of their possible toxicity).

And. . . current mass farming methods mostly eliminate vitamin A from the livestock diet

The current farming practice of keeping livestock in confinement results in an absence of vitamin A in their fat. If present however, the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K are relatively stable and essentially will survive the pasteurization process.

And anyway. . . processors prefer to utilize vegetable oils (containingß-carotene), instead of animal fats

We can obtain vitamin A by converting dietary carotenes

But. . . optimal conversion NEEDS FAT and is influenced by other factors.   We are taught that we may obtain vitamin A by eating and converting provitamin A carotenes (such as ß-carotene) in brightly colored fruits and vegetables. The problem is that this conversion only takes place when fat is present, and then inefficiently without optimal conversion conditions. (An estimate of the absorption rate for carotene is 20%-50% of that of retinol, which itself is estimated at 70%-90% Olson JA, 1993, Molecular actions of carotenoids Carotenes are converted in the upper intestines by the action of bile, which reaches this area only when its production is stimulated by fat in the meal. Here lies the wisdom of putting butter on your vegetables and adding cream to the soup!

• Other concurrent dietary factors influencing carotenoid bioavailability and absorption.    Include the amount of dietary  carotenes, interactions with other carotenes, presence of dietary fiber, nutritional deficiencies of zinc and/or protein, and disease states. Erdman J. The physiologic chemistry of carotenes in man.

Absorption efficiency of β-Carotene is estimated to be between 9-22%. The absorption and conversion of carotenoids may depend on the form that the β-Carotene is in (e.g. cooked vs. raw vegetables, or in a supplement), the intake of fats and oils at the same time, and the current stores of vitamin A and β-Carotene in the body. WIkipedia

• Carotenes are found in: dark leafy vegetables, algae, red and yellow vegetables /tubers (E.g. carrots), red and orange fruits/flowers /juices, and is especially high in red palm oil (a common, strong-flavored cooking oil used in W. Africa), and is even up to 10 times higher in buriti palm oil.

Thoughts on the Edenic diet.    Before the Great Flood, people had a vegetarian diet, however, there were certainly shepherds at this time, since Abel, son of Adam and Eve was one. In addition to sacrificing meat, we assume that people used the other sheep products, such as wool, milk and skins (we know God clothed Adam and Eve in animal skins in the garden of Eden). We surmise that man also availed himself of other animal products, such as cows’and goats’milk, butter, cream, cheese. These animal fats would therefore have provided the needed fat catalyst to effect carotene conversion.

Other carotene tidbits

• Both vitamin A and carotene content are reduced by cooking
• Carotenes do not convert to retinol when the body already contains sufficiently high levels
• FDA regulations currently allow product labels to list carotenes as vitamin A
• Approximately one third of the retinol in the American diet is derived from provitamin A carotenes

We can obtain vitamin A from fortified foods

Dietary vitamin A intake in the U.S. is an estimated 25% ß-carotene and 75% vitamin A (mainly from dairy products and synthetically fortified foods)

A synthetic vitamin A is usually added to low-fat/skim milk but not usually to whole milk – since vitamin A is naturally present in milk fat, more so from pastured cows, and survives pasteurization

Functions of vitamin A (retinol) in the body

• Sufficient vitamin A needed for mineral uptake / utilization of water-soluble vitamins;
• Antioxidant.   Controls free radicals in body fats, and its presence in cod liver oil protects against lipid peroxide damage;
• Essential for good eyesight (retinal component).   Vitamin A is called “retinol” because of its presence in the retina;
• Builds muscle
• Utilizes protein.   Initiates gastric juice secretion; (High-protein diet depletes vitamin A.   E.g. heavy meat-eating);
• “Beauty” Vitamin.  Keeps the skin smooth and soft
• Improves growth in nutrient-deprived children
• Powerful inhibitor of prostate cancer
• Growth/repair of body tissues – used in cell division;
• Helps build strong bones/teeth, rich blood
• Protects mucous membranes of mouth / nose / throat / lungs / entire digestive tract / bladder / kidneys
• Immune system builder
• Vitamin A protects against possible dioxins and pesticides.   A useful ingredient in cod liver oil;
• Reproduction.   Necessary for sperm production. Used in cell division and differentiation (i.e. cell decides what it will be), and prenatal development (Aids RNA production); Prevents spontaneous abortion;

Vitamins A and D work together and must be present in BALANCED amounts