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Wednesday, 13 March 2024

Vitamin A : One of Thirteen Essential Vitamins

image from here

Vitamins are nutrients that are found in the foods we eat. They’re needed for functions such as growth, metabolism, and nervous system activities. There are thirteen essential vitamins and this post gives information about one of them, namely "Vitamin A, which is also known as retinol, and has several important functions.

These include:
helping your body's natural defence against illness and infection (the immune system) work properly
helping vision in dim light
keeping skin and the lining of some parts of the body, such as the nose, healthy

Good sources of vitamin A (retinol) include:
cheese
eggs
oily fish
fortified low-fat spreads
milk and yoghurt
liver and liver products such as liver pâté – this is a particularly rich source of vitamin A, so you may be at risk of having too much vitamin A if you have it more than once a week (if you're pregnant you should avoid eating liver or liver products)

You can also get vitamin A by including good sources of beta-carotene in your diet, as the body can convert this into retinol.

The main food sources of beta-carotene are:
yellow, red and green (leafy) vegetables, such as spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes and red peppers
yellow fruit, such as mango, papaya and apricots

How much vitamin A do I need?
The total vitamin A content of a food is usually expressed as micrograms (µg) of retinol equivalents (RE).

The amount of vitamin A adults aged 19 to 64 need is:
700 µg a day for men
600 µg a day for women

You should be able to get all the vitamin A you need from your diet.

Any vitamin A your body does not need immediately is stored for future use. This means you do not need it every day.

What happens if I take too much vitamin A?
Some research suggests that having more than an average of 1.5 mg (1,500 µg) a day of vitamin A over many years may affect your bones, making them more likely to fracture when you're older.

This is particularly important for older people, especially women, who are already at increased risk of osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones.

If you eat liver or liver pâté more than once a week, you may be getting too much vitamin A.

Many multivitamins contain vitamin A.
Other supplements, such as fish liver oil, are also high in vitamin A.

If you take supplements containing vitamin A, make sure your daily intake from food and supplements does not exceed 1.5 mg (1,500 µg).

If you eat liver every week, do not take supplements that contain vitamin A.

If you're pregnant
Having large amounts of vitamin A can harm your unborn baby. So if you're pregnant or thinking about having a baby, do not eat liver or liver products, such as pâté, because these are very high in vitamin A.

Also avoid taking supplements that contain vitamin A. Speak to your GP or midwife if you would like more information.

What does the Department of Health and Social Care advise?
You should be able to get all the vitamin A you need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

If you take a supplement that contains vitamin A, do not take too much because this could be harmful.

Liver is a very rich source of vitamin A. Do not eat liver or liver products, such as pâté, more than once a week.

You should also be aware of how much vitamin A there is in any supplements you take.

If you're pregnant or thinking of having a baby:
avoid taking supplements containing vitamin A, including fish liver oil, unless advised to by your GP
avoid liver or liver products, such as pâté, as these are very high in vitamin A

Women who have been through the menopause and older men, who are more at risk of osteoporosis, should avoid having more than 1.5mg of vitamin A a day from food and supplements.

This means:
not eating liver or liver products, such as pâté, more than once a week, or having smaller portions of these
taking no more than 1.5mg of vitamin A a day in supplements (including fish liver oil) if you do not eat liver or liver products
not taking any supplements containing vitamin A (including fish liver oil) if you eat liver once a week

Having an average of 1.5mg a day or less of vitamin A from diet and supplements combined is unlikely to cause any harm."
Words above taken from here

The above is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider.


All the best Jan

27 comments:

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Thank you!
I will take a look at how much vitamin A I get from foods.

Rustic Pumpkin said...

I have always been cautious in taking supplements. As you say, a varied and healthy diet should provide us with everything we need. I do take a Vit D supplement on my GP's advice but that is all.

J.P. Alexander said...

Gracias por el consejo siempre hay alimentarse bien. Te mando un beso.

Christine said...

Thanks for this information.

Barwitzki said...

Thanks for the detailed post.
It's always good to think about your diet.
A kind greeting to you.
Viola

Tom said...

...I get vitamin A from eggs each day.

DVArtist said...

Great post on vit A. I try to eat what I can to get it but I do take a suppliment.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, for sharing that important information. I had no idea about the things you shared.

peppylady (Dora) said...

I'm like Tom. I pretty much have an egg every day. Mostly in morning.

Margaret D said...

Interesting Jan.

aussie aNNie said...

Thanks for the details x

Angie's Recipes said...

Love livers and eggs :-)

roentare said...

I tried to avoid vitamin A

jabblog said...

It's interesting that too much vitamin A is harmful. I wonder how many people overdose without realising it.

Jo said...

Eleanor's avoiding some foods at the moment with being pregnant, I didn't know the reason why she's not eating pate.

eileeninmd said...

Hello,
I like liver and onions, sounds like it is a great source of Vit A.
Thanks for the info. Take care, enjoy your day!

Valerie-Jael said...

We need our vitamins!

mxtodis123 said...

Fortunately I love fresh fruits and veggies.

HappyK said...

Except for the liver I like all of these A foods.

Carla from The River said...

I always appreciate your posts on vitamins.
Carla

Jeanie said...

That's interesting, especially about what happens with too much!

carol l mckenna said...

Wonderful info about Vitamin A ~

Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Conniecrafter said...

Thanks for the info I will have to see how much my vitamins and all of the other stuff I eat has in them

Teresa said...

Gracias por toda la información, muy buena como siempre. Besos.

baili said...

a big big thanks for sharing this very informative post dear Jan
we eat mutton weekly but fish is also eaten eaten so is yogurt that is part of daily life specially in fasting month

it seems helpful to rethink and reduce the amount of vitamin A though i still wonder how much food can contain 1.5 mg of it ???

Lowcarb team member said...

REPLY TO

baili who said...
a big big thanks for sharing this very informative post dear Jan
we eat mutton weekly but fish is also eaten eaten so is yogurt that is part of daily life specially in fasting month

it seems helpful to rethink and reduce the amount of vitamin A though i still wonder how much food can contain 1.5 mg of it ???

Hello Baili, many thanks for your comment and question.

An article that may help you with the amount of Vitamin A in foods can be found here
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-high-in-vitamin-a

All the best Jan

baili said...

thanks for reply dear Jan !