VITAMIN A 150MCG

Origins of Vitamin A
Although Vitamin A was a prominent topic of research in the early 1900s, Vitamin A (or retinol) was first discovered in 1912 by Gowland Hopkins - a man who had previously identified and isolated the amino acid tryptophan. Researchers initially thought that failure of growth in rats was due to proteins in the diet that had undergone a structural change and could no longer carry out their functions.

Vitamin A is a collective group of structurally similar fat-soluble compounds. These are readily destroyed upon exposure to heat, light or air. There are several forms of Vitamin A, two being the most common form available to humans through the diet: retinol and provitamin A carotenoids. Retinol is found in animal sources, such as red meat, cheese, oily fish and eggs, whilst beta-carotene is one example of a provitamin A carotenoid. Beta-carotene is a pigment found in plants, providing yellow and orange fruit and vegetables their colouring. The pigment is converted into Vitamin A in the body and is widely distributed in fruits and vegetables such as spinach, carrots, red peppers and sweet potatoes. Other foods containing beta-carotene include yellow fruit, such as mango, apricots and papaya.