Beta-carotene is a plant-based molecule that can be converted into vitamin A by the body. Other carotenoids can also be converted into vitamin A. Vitamin A is stored in the liver and too much preformed vitamin A can cause disease, while too much beta-carotene is usually harmless. Too little vitamin A can cause developmental problems, blindness, and increase the risk of infections.
Vitamin A is a general term for a group of related substances that the human body can use for good health. Beta-carotene is a specific molecule in a group of molecules called carotenoids, some of which the body can convert into a type of vitamin A. Beta-carotene sources are plant-based, while preformed vitamin A only comes from animal sources.
Beta-carotene is just one of a variety of molecules that can be converted to vitamin A. The other molecules present in the average Western diet are alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin, and all of these substances fall into a group of molecules called carotenoids. . Carotenoids are pigments, which means that they give color to the plant on which they grow. Carotenoids in food come only from plants, so vitamin A and beta-carotene play a role in nutrient intake and absorption by plants, not animals.
Once the body ingests beta carotene, it has to alter it to turn it into vitamin A. It does this in two ways, by cutting the beta carotene molecule in the middle of the chain, or by cutting it from the outside in. The breakdown and production of vitamin A and beta-carotene occurs in the small intestine, after the food passes through the stomach. The process involves an enzyme called beta-carotene dioxygenase, and the specific product of this process of vitamin A and beta carotene is called retinol. Retinol is only one form of vitamin A, and others can be produced from other types of vitamin A raw materials, such as other carotenoids.
Storage of this product of the vitamin A and beta-carotene process occurs in the liver. This has implications for possible animal sources of vitamin A, as the livers of certain predators, such as polar bears or fish, can contain high levels of vitamin A. If a human ingests too much preformed vitamin A, disease can result.
However, if a person eats high levels of beta carotene, poisoning usually does not occur, as the body only makes enough vitamin A as it needs and simply stores the beta carotene in its original form. When the body needs more vitamin A, it gets it from beta-carotene stored in body fat. Too much beta-carotene can cause the skin to turn yellow, but this appears to be a relatively harmless condition. Conversely, too little vitamin A can cause developmental problems in children, cause blindness, and increase the risk of dangerous infections.
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