The Kaufmann Diet is all about using nutrition as a powerful tool to support good health, prevent disease, and sometimes even reverse diseases. In this series, we break down the components of nutrition into their specific parts, and discuss how they can support––and sometimes hinder––our health. The second part of this series covers vitamins, what they are, how they fit into your Kaufmann Diet, and the best sources of these nutrients.
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin essential for numerous bodily functions. Other names for Vitamin A include, retinol, retinal, retinoic acid, retinoids (collective term for compounds like retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid), and carotenoids (provitamin A forms).
Vitamin A exists in two primary forms: preformed vitamin A (retinoids) and provitamin A (carotenoids).
These are active forms of vitamin A found in animal products:
1. Retinol: The alcohol form of vitamin A, often stored in the liver and converted to other active forms as needed.
2. Retinal: The aldehyde form, crucial for vision.
3. Retinoic Acid: The acid form, important for gene expression and cell differentiation.
These are precursors found in plant sources that the body can convert into active vitamin A:
1. Beta-Carotene: The most well-known and most efficiently converted carotenoid.
2. Alpha-Carotene: Less efficiently converted compared to beta-carotene.
3. Beta-Cryptoxanthin: Another carotenoid with vitamin A activity.
Each form of Vitamin A has its own specific role in the body, contributing to the overall functions of vitamin A such as vision, immune health, and cellular communication:
1. Vision: Vitamin A is important for maintaining healthy vision. It is a component of rhodopsin, a protein in the retina that absorbs light and is essential for low-light and color vision.
2. Immune System: It helps maintain the integrity and function of skin and mucosal cells, which are barriers to infections.
3. Reproduction and Growth: It plays a role in reproductive processes and is necessary for the normal growth and development of embryos.
4. Cellular Communication: Vitamin A is involved in cellular differentiation, a process by which cells mature to perform specific functions.
5. Skin Health: It contributes to the maintenance of healthy skin and the healing of wounds.
Like many vitamins and minerals, vitamin A exhibits some anti-fungal properties which are of interest to those on The Kaufmann Diet.
Retinoids, particularly retinoic acid, have been shown to possess anti-fungal properties, in a couple different ways. First, retinoic acid plays a role in modulating the immune system. It enhances the body’s ability to respond to fungal infections by influencing the differentiation and function of immune cells such as T-cells and macrophages, which are important in combating fungal pathogens.
Second, some studies suggest that retinoic acid can directly inhibit the growth of certain fungal species. This effect is possibly due to the disruption of fungal cell membranes or interference with fungal metabolism.
Research has also shown that retinoic acid can inhibit the growth of Candida species, a common cause of fungal infections in humans. Studies have also indicated potential anti-fungal activity of retinoic acid against other fungal pathogens.
There are lots of good sources of vitamin A that are friendly for your Kaufmann Diet:
1. Animal Sources (Retinoids):
– Liver
– Fish oils
– Egg yolks
2. Plant Sources (Carotenoids):
– Carrots
– Sweet potatoes (Kaufmann 2)
– Spinach
– Kale
– Butternut squash
– Red peppers
The RDA for vitamin A varies by age, sex, and life stage. These are measured in micrograms (mcg) of Retinol Activity Equivalents, or RAE:
– Infants 0-12 months: 400-500 mcg RAE
– Children 1-8 years: 300-400 mcg RAE
– Males 14+ years: 900 mcg RAE
– Females 14+ years: 700 mcg RAE
– Pregnant Women: 770 mcg RAE
– Lactating Women: 1,300 mcg RAE
While high intake of carotenoids generally isn’t toxic, it can cause carotenemia, a condition where the skin turns yellow-orange, which is harmless and reversible.
Rarely, hypervitaminosis A can occur from excessive intake of preformed vitamin A, leading to symptoms such as nausea, headache, dizziness, and even liver damage. It is rare but can be serious. If you are focusing on getting enough vitamin A from your Kaufmann Diet, this shouldn’t be an issue. However, if you are interested in supplementing with Vitamin A, talk to your doctor beforehand.
Your Questions About Vitamins Answered
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Doug Kaufmann developed his diet after years studying the clinical effects of pathogenic fungi on the body. Fungi and yeasts can become parasitic organisms on and inside our body, causing health problems that can be difficult to diagnose. Learn more about the Kaufmann Diet, change your life and know the cause.
We encourage all visitors to this site to take some time and study these technical articles prior to initiating lifestyle changes, including dietary changes and to do so with their physician’s awareness and approval. The articles posted in this link are scientific and with few exceptions are taken from medical journals familiar to healthcare workers.
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