What is retinol?
The unique health benefits of retinol. Retinol is the active form of vitamin A, an essential nutrient for the human body. For example, it plays a role in keeping the skin moisturized.
It protects the eyes against certain problems, and it even helps to maintain the tissues in your lungs, amongst many other benefits.
Fat Soluble (Retinol) vs. Water Soluble (Beta Carotene)
Fat-soluble (retinol) vs. water-soluble (beta-carotene) Retinol is fat-soluble, so it comes from foods like liver, egg yolks, butter, and wild fish. There’s also a precursor of vitamin A that you may have heard of called beta-carotene, and this is found in sweet potatoes, carrots, and leafy greens.
However, only 2–3% of this is converted into retinol, so you really must get the active form of it from animal-based foods.
In this article, we’ll explore the seven unique health benefits of retinol, its sources, and how you can absorb it properly as you age.
Just a quick reminder: this article is for educational purposes only, so do speak to a doctor if you have any medical issues.
1. Boosting collagen production in the skin
Boosting collagen production in the skin. Benefit number one of retinol is that it can boost collagen in the skin. Retinol is known as an anti-aging nutrient, as it helps to keep the skin elastic and youthful as you age.
There’s a synthetic version of this that is often added to skin creams and moisturizers, but unfortunately, it can only boost collagen when you’re getting it internally from natural food sources.
Retinol activates the production of type 1 and type 3 collagen, which are essential to maintain the healthy structure of your skin and also to reduce the formation of fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin as you age. Taking a virgin cod liver oil supplement is an excellent way to get this, but I’ll talk more about the best sources of it later.
2. Clearing up acne and dry skin
Clearing up acne and dry skin. Number two is clearing up acne and dry skin. Active vitamin A, known as retinol, is heavily involved in controlling the amount of oil in your skin by regulating sebum production.
Retinol helps to keep your skin moisturized and stops it from drying out, including the lips. At the same time, it prevents too much oil from being produced and clogging up the pores.
You can use a synthetic retinol skin cream or a moisturizer to help clear up acne, pimples, scarring, or redness. But the most effective method is to just get it internally from natural food sources, as some of these skin creams have very toxic ingredients.
3. Improving vision and eye health
Improving vision and eye health. Benefit number three of retinol is improving your vision. Real active vitamin A from animal sources directly supports the retina of the eye. This is an extension of your brain tissue.
Retinol helps to form a pigment in the eye called rhodopsin. This helps you to see better in low-light conditions, especially when you’re driving and your eyes need to adapt. Retinol maintains a healthy cornea to reduce the risk of eye ulcers and blindness.
It helps to keep the eyes lubricated and prevents dry eyes by controlling the tear glands. It also reduces the risk of macular degeneration and other eye disorders as we age.
As a side note, there’s a mineral called zinc, which is also very important, as it’s needed to transport retinol from the liver to the eyes. So you need this as well.
4. Protecting the Lungs and Sinuses (Lubrication)
Protecting the lungs and sinuses (lubrication). Number four is protecting your lungs and sinuses. Retinol goes beyond just skin and eye health; it also plays a role in lubricating and protecting the barriers on the inner skin of the body, such as the lungs, the sinuses, and the airways.
People who suffer from sinusitis, sinus headaches, dryness in the nose, frequent chest infections, or chronic rhinitis may simply have a retinol deficiency. This may be because they aren’t eating enough of this active vitamin A, or it could be because they have a lack of bile coming from their gallbladder, which is preventing them from absorbing it properly.
5. Improving Gut Health (Intestinal Permeability Reduction)
Improving gut health (intestinal permeability reduction) number five is improved gut health. One of the main causes of disease nowadays is actually leaky gut syndrome.
This is a situation where the tight junctions in your intestines become very loose, and large toxins from your stool can begin leaking into your blood. This stirs up all kinds of autoimmune reactions in the body and can trigger problems like arthritis, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, thyroid issues, bowel disease, allergies, skin problems, etc.
But this is where retinol can help. Retinol has been shown in studies to help support the mucosal barrier in your intestine, along with zinc, to help prevent pathogens and toxins from invading the body. It also helps to reduce inflammation in the gut for those who suffer from IBD, IBS, Crohns, or celiac disease.
6. Supporting Keratinization of Nails
Supporting keratinization of nails. In order to produce nails that have a very healthy and shiny appearance, your body needs lots of nutrients like silica, vitamin B12, zinc, and others.
If your nails become brittle, however, this may indicate that you have a vitamin A deficiency. Retinol activates keratinization. This is a protein that gives your nails their strength and the smooth texture.
7. Strengthening Bones (Osteoblast Control)
Strengthening bones during childhood, retinol helps bones to grow strong and healthy by maintaining healthy bone cells. These are called osteoblasts.
You also need it to maintain healthy bones throughout your life by regulating the production of collagen within them and also helping to replace any damaged bone with new healthy tissues. You also need a good amount of vitamin D and K2, as this helps to direct and drive calcium into your bones and makes them very tough.
Causes of Retinol Deficiencies
Causes of retinol deficiencies, so why are so many people deficient in retinol in the first place? Well, to absorb retinol, you need lots of bile flowing from your liver and gallbladder. So if you have any issues with digestion, this could be causing you to not absorb this form of vitamin A.
Also, if you aren’t eating enough saturated fats in your diet, this can also leave you deficient, as you can’t get retinol just from plant-based foods or lean proteins. You must get it from fat. If you have any type of digestive damage, if you suffer from acid reflux, IBS, Crohn’s, etc.
The nutrients may not be absorbing properly in your intestines. And finally, this one’s often overlooked, so it’s important that I mention it. If you have a zinc deficiency, your body may not be able to transport the retinol from your liver into the tissues properly.
Food Sources of Retinol (Provitamin A)
Food sources of retinol (Provitamin A), sources of retinol. We need at least 700 to 900 micrograms of retinol per day to meet our nutritional requirements. To boost your intake of vitamin A, don’t expect to get it from carrots and vegetables only. 2 to 3% of the beta-carotene in these is converted into retinol in the body.
Instead, I’d recommend taking a daily supplement of Virgin cod liver oil. Make sure that you choose a brand which only contains natural vitamin A, and it doesn’t have it synthetically added. Please try to avoid any type of synthetic A or retinol supplements, as these are toxic and they’re very damaging to the liver.
Alternatively, you can focus on getting it into your diet by simply eating healthy food sources such as beef liver, grass-fed butter, wild salmon, goat cheese, egg yolks, and cheddar cheese. If you do…
Absorbing Retinol with Added Enzymes and Bile
Absorbing retinol with added enzymes and bile. Have any type of digestive problem like bloating, indigestion, constipation, etc.?
Simply take a digestive enzyme supplement after each meal, as this will help you to break down and absorb more retinol. Ensure that on the ingredients list of your chosen product, that it contains ox bile or purified bile salts.
Since many people become deficient in bile as they get older, you may want to check to see if this is your problem.
