Reviewed by nutritionist Emily Lachtrupp, Ms, Rd
The main points
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A new study shows that too much or too little vitamin A can increase the risk of cancer.
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Get vitamin A in foods such as red peppers, sweet potatoes and eggs.
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However, talk to the health care provider before testing the vitamin A supplement.
Vitamin A is very important in maintaining healthy vision, solid immune system and radiant skin. There are also some carotenoids with provitamin activity – which means they are converted to vitamin A. Tai vitamin A acts as an antioxidant that reduces oxidative stress and inflammation. In addition, there is evidence that vitamin A plays an important role in cancer prevention. But how much is enough? And can there be too much, well, too much?
Investigators also wanted to know, so they conducted a hospital and control investigation with Vietnamese participants. They published their conclusions Nutrients; Let’s divide what they found.
How was this study done?
Researchers employed participants from four major Vietnamese university hospitals. There were two groups of participants. One group consisted of more than 3,700 patients with cancer; The other was nearly 3,000 control patients who had no cancer but were hospitalized for other reasons. The cancer group included patients with esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, lungs, breast and other cancers.
Demographic information was collected, as did the diet information using the food frequency questionnaire. Based on this information, the nutritional intake of participants was calculated.
What did this study find?
After several statistical analyzes, including adjustment due to misleading factors such as gender, age and BMI, researchers have found a U -shaped relationship between vitamin A intake and cancer. This means that both the lowest and the highest use of vitamin A was associated with increased cancer risk. The reference intake of vitamin A was 85.3-104 mcg daily; This link marks the average consumption of the control group that has not had cancer.
The cancer that was most related to vitamin A was the esophagus, breast, rectum and stomach, but not a colon.
This study has several restrictions, starting with the possibility of bias of the food frequency questionnaire, because let’s look at it, most of us can’t remember what we ate yesterday, not to mention the attempt to evaluate how many foods we eat regularly. Moreover, since it was a study in hospitals, it may not be generalized to other populations, nor can we be sure that it applies to other nationalities.
How does it apply to real life?
Like most things in life, it is not necessarily better when it comes to vitamin A., but you also have to make sure you get enough of this vitamin, because when you hit it with a sweet place, it is a nutrition power plant. These authors of the study do not provide their recommended amounts; They only provide the amount of reference consumption.
Based on the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the recommended vitamin A consumption changes based on your age and gender. And since you can get vitamin A from so many sources, recommendations are available in the equivalent of retinol activity (RAE), which can be translated into certain levels of beta-carotene, retinol and other vitamin forms. Here’s how adult recommendations break:
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Men: 900 micrograms (MCG) RAE
Foods rich in vitamin A are carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, spinach, tuna and beef liver. We like to make fun of these ingredients creatively, as we do our sheets in carrots and chickpeas with Tahini, Pumpkin trifle and tuna niçoise melts. Good news is that most Americans get enough vitamin A in their diets, so you may notice that you are already in good shape when it comes to this nutrient.
Of course, Vitamin A is not the only important nutrient for cancer prevention, as well as diet is not the only area to look out for. And as the percentage of cancer is increasing, including young people, now is the time to start prevention strategies.
The American Cancer Society states that the main areas of concern due to the risk of cancer we need to control are diet, physical activity, tobacco consumption and alcohol consumption. When it comes to diet, anti -inflammatory eating method is recommended as it contains nutrients with dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and healthy fats.
You can also reduce the risk of your cancer, including breast cancer, as you perform your normal physical activity. And more and more evidence are the loading of alcohol and tobacco products.
Our expert is taking
This study shows that too much and too little vitamin A can increase the risk of several types of cancer. If you are not sure if you receive the right amount of vitamin of this essential, agree to talk to a registered nutritionist or seek advice from a health care professional.
It is also important to follow the whole health approach to cancer prevention, eating a lot of anti -inflammatory foods, moving your body more often, having a lot of quality sleep, controlling your stress, restricting or avoiding alcohol and avoiding tobacco products. If this list stunts you, choose one area where you will start working and stick to it. In the past, you will realize that other areas will be lighter. And while there is no guarantee that you will prevent cancer using this strategy if you get it, you will be stronger and better able to deal with you.
Read the original article about Eatingwell