Vitamin A: Essential, common, and sometimes toxic

Oct 20

I have to admit, I was just thinking about vitamin A and while I know it is an essential nutrient, only negatives came to mind regarding vitamin A supplements. While researching multi-vitamins, excessive amounts of vitamin A were discovered in tests of many brands. Surprisingly this was the case for many store brands and popular MLM home sales brands. Lab tests found levels far exceeding what was on the label quite often. More specifically it is the retinoid form, a fat soluble vitamin A, that can accumulate to toxic levels. Recommendations for retinol type vitamin A is 900 micrograms for adult men, 700 for adult women and an upper limit of 3,000 micrograms for all adults. Carotene sources of Vitamin A such as beta-carotene are not considered toxic.

Hypervitaminosis A

High levels of the Vitamin A retinols cannot be stored in the liver. They may be released into circulation leading to toxicity. Some signs of acute Vitamin A toxicity include nausea and vomiting, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, and loss of muscular coordination. Hypervitaminosis A can lead to birth defects, problems with the liver, loss of bone mineral density /osteoporosis, coarse bone growths, hair loss, excessive dry or peeling skin.

Hypervitaminosis A usually occurs from excessive Vitamin A supplement intake. And hey! While we are talking about toxic levels of Vitamin A, here is a fun fact. If you see Polar Bear liver in your grocers meat case, beware. Polar bear liver contains unsafe levels of vitamin A.

Many Natural sources of Vitamin A

Vitamin A is so plentiful in food that deficiencies rarely occur unless it is in a third world country or someone is on a severely restricted diet. We generally obtain plenty of Vitamin A through our normal diet and the liver usually stores enough of the retinol form of Vitamin A to get us through any temporary swings in diet that may not provide Vitamin A. There are exceptions such as when a Pediatrician may prescribe doses of Vitamin A to fight stuff like the measles. Alcoholics may have decreased levels of Vitamin A, but a Doctor should be involved before taking supplements as a damaged liver may not be able to handle higher levels of Vitamin A.

Some natural sources of vitamin A are lemon, carrots, collard greens, sweet potatoes, beetroot, pumpkin, apple, winter squash, apricots, cantaloupe melon, mango, broccoli, and leafy vegetables. In addition to many fruits and veggies, the fat soluble form is found in animal products like beef, liver, eggs, milk, and butter.

The “Normal Guy” Breakdown

So what does all this mean for me, a typical American guy?

With a balanced diet, don’t worry about Vitamin A deficiencies unless I’m a boozer or a Doctor has prescribed Vitamin A supplements.
I will scrutinize Multi-vitamins to be sure they are high quality, with lab verified non-toxic levels of retinoid Vitamin A… not just trusting the label.
My personal choice for a multi is Douglas Labs Ultra Preventive X.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.