Vitamin A for Men

Ever heard the myth that eating carrots can improve your vision?

Well, like all myths, there’s a grain of truth in this.

Of course, eating carrots won’t have you suddenly throwing your glasses and contacts away, as your eyes return to perfect 20:20 vision...

...However, carrots are rich sources of vitamin A; the “vision vitamin,” which is vital to healthy vision and eyecare.

So, while it’s a myth that carrots improve vision, they do supply the essential micronutrient required for ongoing healthy vision.

Not to mention ongoing healthy skin health, immunity, protein synthesis, tissue repair, bone health, antioxidant capacity, and then some.

• But are carrots really the only source of vitamin A, let alone the best source?
• And is this a vitamin that men should be particularly considerate of?

In this article, we cover these questions, as well as provide the answer to what is the best multivitamin for men that contains an optimal dosage of vitamin A?

So, let’s jump into it!

The Beginner’s Guide on Vitamin A and Male Health

Though discussed predominantly in the context of child health and development, vitamin A remains an essential vitamin in adulthood. 

This is because, like all essential micronutrients, vitamin A can’t be synthesized in the body and must be consistently acquired through the diet.

In developing nations, vitamin A deficiency is fairly common,^[1] making vitamin A-deficiency one of the world’s leading causes of blindness. Not to mention that vitamin A deficiency may also drastically impair immunity, contributing to greater risk and severity of disease states.

For men, this means that sustaining healthy vitamin A levels is key to sustaining a healthy, active, and energized lifestyle, one uninhibited by being frequently sick or visually impaired.

But What Exactly is Vitamin A?

Commonly associated with vision (specifically, through their relationship to carrots), vitamin A is a fat-soluble group of compounds found in various food sources, namely: 

1. fruits
2. vegetables
3. eggs
4. dairy
5. meat
6. saltwater fish
7. and, yes, carrots.

Though commonly viewed as a single item, “vitamin A” actually refers to several different compounds linked by their similar structure.

Altogether, the “vitamin A” category includes:

• Retinol
• Retinaldehyde
• Retinoic Acid
• Beta-Carotene
• Alpha-Carotene
• Gamma-Carotene
• Cryptoxanthin

Of these, beta-carotene and retinol are the two most popular vitamin A forms found in foods and used by health supplements. Due to these compounds’ essential involvement in eye care, skin health, and immunity, vitamin A is one of the more important micronutrients for supporting life-essential functions.

With exception to severe cases of vitamin A-deficiency, supplementing a vitamin-A-containing multivitamin rather than a specific vitamin A supplement may be more beneficial in elevating all aspects of male health.

And the best vitamin-A-containing multivitamin is Performance Lab® NutriGenesis® Multi for Men.

Let’s take a brief glance at this multi stack for men:

Continue reading to learn more about the importance of vitamin A to male health and performance, including what the research has to say on this essential micronutrient.

How Does Vitamin A Work?

Unlike water-soluble vitamins, vitamin A is fat-soluble, meaning that our bodies can store this compound.

As a result, vitamin A-deficiency is relatively rare compared to certain water-soluble vitamins (such as vitamin B12) which is a commonly deficient vitamin as we age.

However, this shouldn’t undermine the importance of vitamin A, which helps form:

• Healthy Teeth
• Skeletal and Connective Tissue
• Skin Tissue
• Mucus Membranes

And, famously, the pigments in the retina in the eye, when in the form of retinol. (Remember: retinol supports the retina.) Vitamin A’s structural importance to the retina supports good eyesight under low light, which also explains why carrots aren’t only recommended for “good vision” but “good night vision.”

As an “anti-inflammatory” vitamin, vitamin A also plays a critical role in support immune function, which becomes especially pertinent in our older, hyper-inflammatory years.

Why Men Should Supplement Vitamin A

Though macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats) tend to get the most attention in the discussion on nutrition for male health and performance, micronutrients, such as vitamin A, are rarely recognized for their importance in regulating macronutrient homeostasis.

Meaning that micronutrients largely determine the use and function of the macronutrients in your body.

As an essential micronutrient, vitamin A plays a vital role in general health and well-being.

However, vitamin A also seems to be specifically involved in the regulation of carbohydrate, protein, and lipid (fat) metabolism in all of the major metabolically active organs.^[2] This goes deeper than the typical “metabolic” concerns of health and fitness enthusiasts, who typically discuss “metabolism” in the context of fat-burning and muscle-building.

What’s more, vitamin A status also correlates with spermatogenesis, the creation of sperm, in conjunction with testosterone and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).^[3]

Granted, vitamin A’s complex involvement in virtually all health systems make it difficult to draw a direct link between vitamin A’s biomechanisms and sperm health; however, regardless, research suggests that vitamin A is vitally important to male fertility.

Vitamin A Review: Benefits for Male Health

To call vitamin A’s bio-actions “benefits,” as if they’re just health “bonuses” or “enhancements,” misses the life-essential importance of this vitamin.

You need vitamin A, and you can easily acquire a sufficient amount of vitamin A through a healthy, whole-food diet.

Even so, the health “benefits” of vitamin A are worth considering:

• Visual Longevity and Performance
• Skin Health and Complexion
• Immune Function
• Protein Synthesis
• Bone and Teeth Health
• Sperm Quality
• Male Fertility

And countless other indirect benefits. Considering how aging impacts many of these measures of male health and performance, in ways that overlap with vitamin A’s bio-mechanisms, it’s a smart move for men to ensure they’re receiving sufficient vitamin A by taking an effective, comprehensive multivitamin.

What Does the Research Say on Vitamin A?

Despite the anecdotal popularity of recommendations such as “eat carrots to improve your eyesight,” the bio-benefits of vitamin A are backed by legitimate science.

Research suggests that vitamin A may help:

Protect male reproductive system against toxicity (animal study)

Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) is a synthetic chemical commonly used as an insecticide on fruit, vegetables, and other plant crops. In addition to protecting crops against insects, HCH also seems to have a deleterious effect on the male reproductive system. In a rat study, a group of researchers observed the effects of vitamin A, as compared to placebo, on various measures of testicular and sperm quality under conditions of HCH exposure.

• The results found that vitamin A helped combat HCH toxicity in the male reproductive system, leading to the conclusion that vitamin A may possess a protective effect in support of healthy male sexual health and function.^[5]

Support healthy sperm motility, morphology, and quality

In a 2013 study on the effects of dietary antioxidant intake, including vitamin A, on semen quality in healthy young men, a group of researchers noted changes in semen volume, total sperm count, concentration, motility, total motile count, and morphology under various nutritional conditions including such dietary micronutrients as vitamin A, C, E, and pro-vitamin A carotenoids.

• The results demonstrated a significant association between carotenoid intake and higher sperm motility and better sperm morphology, leading to the conclusion that “dietary carotenoids may have a positive impact on semen quality.”^[6]

Protect against nuclear cataracts in older adults

In a study on the relationships between a wide range of macro- and micronutrients, including vitamin A, on three main types of cataracts among older adults, 2900 people aged 49 through 97 were assessed to determine any specific correlations between nutrient statuses and risk of developing cataracts later in life.

• The results noted that higher intakes of protein, vitamin A, niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin were associated with a reduced prevalence of nuclear cataract, a type of cataract commonly associated with aging that forms in the center of the lens (or “nucleus”), leading to the conclusion that “the nucleus of the lens is particularly sensitive to nutrient deficiencies [in] protein, vitamin A, niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin,”^[7] suggesting, again, the importance here of comprehensive multivitamin supplementation.

Support antibody-mediated immune responses

In areas where dietary vitamin A is low or relatively inaccessible, infectious diseases tend to spread more readily and at a greater severity in a way that seems associated with vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A deficiency correlates with impaired immunity due to vitamin A’s role in the development of T-helper (Th) cells and B-cells, making this micronutrient a centrally important vitamin for lowering your risk of infection disease.

• Research suggests that, in particular, “vitamin A deficiency diminishes antibody-mediated responses directed by Th2 cells, although some aspects of Th1-mediated immunity are also diminished.”^[8]

Retinol vs. Beta-Carotene: What’s the Difference?

The two most common vitamin A ingredients in supplements, retinol and beta-carotene differ in the following ways:

• Retinol – pure vitamin A, a lipid-soluble compound primarily found in fat-containing animal sources; the body stores pure vitamin A in the liver and fatty tissue.
• Beta-Carotene – a precursor to vitamin A, classified as a “pro-vitamin A” compound, beta-carotene is primarily found in vegetable food sources.

Essentially, the body stores retinol, which stays in the body for a relatively long period of time, whereas beta-carotene is not stored and is, thus, a weaker “vitamin A” ingredient form. However, due to beta-carotene’s significant antioxidant capacity, this means that dietary beta-carotene is required at a greater frequency and dosage to sustain its health-supportive and -maintenance benefits.

Both retinol and beta-carotene together complete a “vitamin A” supplement.

Look for NutriGenesis® Vitamin A+

The best vitamin A for men ingredient, NutriGenesis® Vitamin A+ conjoins both retinol and beta-carotene, in addition to a complex of natural cofactors that increase the absorption rate and bioavailability of vitamin A.

Taken as part of the complete NutriGenesis® multivitamin formula, vitamin A+ is paired with many other key nutraceuticals that assist with male health, performance, virility, immunity, and longevity.

Conclusion

In most developed nations, vitamin A deficiency is a rare occurrence. Even so, as we age, certain health conditions associated with vitamin A deficiency become more and more apparent.

Not to mention that vitamin A status does have a central link to male sexual health and function, making this one of the more important micronutrients to keep in mind as you look for an effective multi for men supplement.

One of the best ways to ensure your vitamin A levels are up to par is to take a daily multi for men supplement: Performance Lab® NutriGenesis® Multi for Men, an ultramodern multivitamin stack for the ultramodern man.

Devoid of any harmful synthetics or artificial additives, Performance Lab® NutriGenesis® Multi for Men is safe to use for daily, long-term use by men of all ages and lifestyles.