Hello Friends,
Please find below an article about Vitamin A published in the latest Retina
E-News from Retina South Africa.
You should contact a specialist before taking vitamin A.
All the best,
Markus


VITAMIN A WARNING
Despite various articles in Retina news and other publications the
dangers of Vitamin A supplementation are still being ignored.
Supplements containing high doses of Vitamin A and Beta carotene
should not be taken by smokers due to an increased risk of
developing lung cancer and women contemplating pregnancy, where
foetal abnormalities may be the result.
In addition people with juvenile macular degenerations should not
take these supplements. In patients affected by Stargardt Dystrophy
and Cone rod Dystrophy caused by a mutation in the ABCA4 [ABCR]
gene the mutation may retard the retina’s ability to convert the
retinal form of Vitamin A back to the Retinol form. A resultant buildup
of Lipofuscin clogs the retina.
Professor Jacquie Greenberg co- principal investigator of the Retinal
Degeneration Project at the University of Cape Town cautions eye
care practitioners not to prescribe supplements containing high
doses of Vitamin A or Beta carotene to patients with juvenile forms of
macular degeneration. She cites the article by Dr Robert Koenekoop
in the journal of Ophthalmic Genetics. June 2003.
" Vitamin A supplementation is not recommended for ABCA4
mutation-positive patients because of a real danger that vitamin A
accumulation is the guilty party in this disease. In addition, careful
protection against the sun is strongly recommended. "
More recent research would seem to collaborate this and Retina
South Africa urges all their Juvenile MD members to avoid
supplements that contain high doses of Vitamin A and beta carotene.
We further advise all our members, irrespective of the type of
degeneration, to wear sunglasses with good UVa and UVb screening properties.