15/01/2026
Beta-Carotene: Vitamin A Activity and More
Vitamin A is essential for growth and development, normal vision, the expression of selected genes, and immunity. But vitamin A deficiency is a major public health problem worldwide, and is the leading preventable cause of blindness among children in developing nations. Vitamin A deficiency also places children at a heightened risk for infectious disease. Even children who are only mildly deficient in vitamin A have a higher incidence of respiratory disease and diarrhea, as well as a higher rate of mortality from infectious disease, compared to children who consume sufficient vitamin A.
Carotenoids comprise a diverse class of antioxidant molecules that help protect the body from oxidative damage. Beta-carotene is one of the best known carotenoids. It is the most abundant in the diet, and it provides significant Vitamin A activity in addition to its role as an antioxidant.
Learn more about the important phytonutrient and how it is related to Vitamin A.
More information on beta-carotene
https://askthescientists.com/qa/beta-carotene/
Beta-carotene and childhood blindness - This paper is from 1996, but it is still mostly accurate, unfortunately.
http://www.fasebj.org/content/10/9/1040.full.pdf+html
Quality supplement:
https://askthescientists.com/qa/cellsentials/
