Can Vitamin A fight cancer? Vitamin A is essential for life. It supports a variety of functions. It is commonly included in most multi-vitamin pills sold in the market. In nature it is produced as an orange pigment naturally found in many fruits and vegetables.

Vitamin A is a member of the retinol family of chemicals. In its raw form, it exists as beta carotene and transformed into vitamin A upon ingestion. If not immediately utilized by the body, it is stored in the liver until needed.

Research hasn’t proven that vitamin A can prevent cancer. But a deficiency of vitamin A can be a cause of cancer. In developed countries, vitamin A deficiency is rare.

It is dangerous to take high doses of Vitamin A. Toxicity can develop. Symptoms are nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Additionally, an over dosage can permanently damage your liver. To be safe, I highly advise you to consume only the recommended dietary allowance (RDA). For women, the RDA is 2310 International Units (IU) or 0.7 milligrams a day. The RDA is 3000 IU or 0.9 mg per day for men.

There are some conflicting studies on the role of vitamin A to fight cancer. Researches reveal that smokers taking high doses of vitamin A for long duration have increased their lung cancer risks. Actually, beta carotene feed the lung cancer cells to thrive. But there is also one rare type of leukemia responsive to high doses of synthetic retinoids. Some studies even reveal that certain retinoids inhibit cancer cells from growing.

Vitamin A functions to enhance the immune system. Supposedly, it can fight cancer. But, clinical trials show that Vitamin A supplementation is very disappointing. 68 compiled studies revealed a shorter life expectancy in people using vitamin A or beta carotene supplements. Maybe, supplementation is too artificial that it has the reverse effect to fight cancer. Vitamin A, as nature would have it, should be supplied from natural sources.

I highly recommend that you get your daily dose of vitamin A from fish and dairy products. Fruits and vegetables are also excellent sources. Choose green, yellow or orange fruits and vegetables like carrots, broccoli, spinach, squash, peaches or apricots. Now, isn’t it much better to take the vitamin in its most natural form?