Vitamin A is a fat-soluble antioxidant found stored in our liver. It functions
to support skin, eye, and reproductive health while maintaining a strong immune system. It’s found naturally in common foods and is an essential part of our diet to maintain optimal health.
Two types of Vitamin A exist in our diet:
Retinoids: a preformed Vitamin A e.g. retinyl acetate and retinol.
Previtamins are immediately active and readily usable by the human body.
Carotenoids: a proformed Vitamin A e.g. beta-carotene.
Provitamins (also known as precursors vitamins) aren’t biologically active and usable until they are metabolised and converted to their active form Carotenoids get converted to retinol by the liver. Retinol is stored in the liver or transported around the body by your lymphatic system - it is then further converted to retinal and then retinoic acid (the active Vitamin A form).