Our bodies need a variety of vitamins and minerals to work properly and keep us healthy. One of those vitamins is Vitamin A, also known as Retinol. It is an important vitamin that is not often talked about.

WHAT IS VITAMIN A?

Vitamin A is considered to be a fat-soluable vitamin, meaning that it dissolves in and is absorbed with fat.  The liver, a fatty organ, stores about 80-90% of vitamin A so that it is available for use in the body. When vitamin A is needed, it is released from the liver into the blood stream and attaches itself to either a liver made protein called pre-albumin or to the provitamin Beta-carotene.  Vitamin A has several important jobs in the body.

• It is involved in the process of cell production by helping the cell to differentiate or develop into the needed specialized cell.
• It is an important part being able to have good vision.
• It is involved in the development of embryos and unborn children.
• It also helps keep the skin and mucous membranes inside the mouth, nose and sinuses healthy.
• It helps the body’s immune system work properly.
• It is also involved in growth, the formation of bones, the reproduction process, and wound healing.

WHERE DO WE GET VITAMIN A?

Vitamin A is found in two forms, retinoids and carotenoids. Retinoid forms of vitamin A, including retinol, come from an animal source. It is the most active form of vitamin A and can be referred to as the active form of it. Carotenoids come from plant sources and includes beta-carotene, the substance that is converted to vitamin A. Beta-carotene is known as provitamin A the precursor to vitamin A and makes up 2/3rds of the vitamin A present in humans. The body gets the needed vitamin A from the food we eat as well from supplements if we are not taking in enough from food. Both meat and plant sources provide vitamin A.

Meat Sources

• Liver from beef, chicken and calf sources
• Kidney
• Milk and milk products including whole milk yogurt, whole milk cottage cheese, butter and other cheese.
• Fish Oil especially fish liver oils
• Eggs

Plant Sources

• Dark green leafy vegetables such as romaine and arugula
• Kale, mustard greens, collard greens, and broccoli
• Swiss chard and Spinach
• Deep yellow/orange fruits and vegetables
• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• Pumpkin
• Cantaloupe
• Apricots
• Peaches
• Mangos

All of these plant sources are rich in many vitamins and minerals in addition to vitamin A. By combining them together, you can get a flavorful, healthy, filling meal.

Supplements

• Retinol or retinyl palmitate
• Come in a variety of doses from 10,000 to 50,000 International Units (IU).
• Fish Liver oils contain more than 180,000 IU/Gram

CAN WE TAKE IN TOO MUCH VITAMIN A AND WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DO?

Because vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, it can easily accumulate in the body and cause a person to develop vitamin A toxicity. Getting your Vitamin A from food sources is safe and should not cause problems, however the use of supplements may cause an accumulation.  According to Medscape emedicine, supplementeddoses greater than 25, 000 units per day are to be used with caution and for a limited time only.

Vitamin A toxicity happens when too much vitamin is taken in. It can happen suddenly, usually because someone has taken too much at one time or it can happen from a slow accumulation over a long period of time. It is important to know the signs of toxicity and how to treat it.

Signs of Toxicity:

• Headache that keeps getting worse or won’t go away.
• Rash
• Feeling sleepy or drowsy
• Abdominal or belly pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea

Signs of long term toxicity include the above symptoms, plus:

• Hair loss especially on the eyebrows
• Skin that is dry and rough
• Yellowing of skin especially on the hands
• Dry cracked lips
• Itching
• Increasing intracranial pressure or swelling on the brain
• Bone and muscle aches
• Swelling of face, hands, arms, feet and legs
• Trouble sleeping

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I THINK I, OR SOMEONE I KNOW, MIGHT HAVE VITAMIN A TOXICITY?

If you think you or someone you know has too much vitamin A in their body, call a healthcare professional and stop taking any vitamin A supplements including retinol and beta-carotene. If it is a child, call the local poison control center or go to the Emergency Room. The healthcare professional will do a thorough history and physical and may order blood tests to look at the fasting serum retinol levels. Depending on the type and severity of the symptoms additional tests such as X-rays and CT-Scans may be performed to make sure there are no other diseases causing the symptoms. You will be instructed to stop taking any vitamin A supplements and symptoms such as headache, nausea and vomiting will be treated with appropriate medications. The good news is once you stop the vitamin A, the symptoms will go away in 1 to 4 weeks.

HOW CAN I PREVENT TOXICITY?

IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE TOO LITTLE VITAMIN A IN YOUR BODY?

Yes, although it is very rare in countries that are well developed such as the United States. Vitamin A deficiency is found most often in people who are malnourished, the elderly and people who have a chronic illness such as cancer. It can also happen to people who have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, difficulties absorbing fat from their diet, undergone small bowel bypass, some vegetarians, and alcoholics. In underdeveloped countries it is estimated that 250 million children are at risk for vitamin deficiencies.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY?