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Ency. home > Test > B > Beta-carotene

Beta-carotene   

Overview | Risks | Results

Alternative names:

Carotene

What the Risks Are

  • excessive bleeding
  • fainting or feeling light-headed
  • hematoma (blood accumulating under the skin)
  • infection (a slight risk any time the skin is broken)
  • multiple punctures to locate veins

Special Considerations

While this test is a valuable test in the diagnosis of Vitamin A deficiency, the diagnosis requires interpretation of this laboratory result in conjunction with other clinical findings.

Beta-carotene is a precursor to Vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin found primarily in fish, dairy products, and green and yellow vegetables. Vitamin A is essential for normal growth, regulation of metabolism, vision, cell structure, strong bones and teeth, healthy skin, and protecting the linings of the digestive, respiratory, and urinary tracts from infection.

Signs of Vitamin A deficiency include:

Beta-carotene also functions as a fat-soluble antioxidant, that is, it may help protect the body from deleterious "free-radical" reactions.

Veins and arteries vary in size from one patient to another and from one side of the body to the other. Obtaining a blood sample from some people may be more difficult than from others.

Ency. home > Test > B > Beta-carotene

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