What is Vitamin A?

 

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in many foods. Vitamin A is important for normal vision, the immune system, and reproduction. Vitamin A also helps the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and other organs work properly.

 

Vitamin A deficiency can lead to blindness, increased infection risk, pregnancy complications and skin issues.

 

Source:

Preformed vitamin A exists in animal foods like liver, salmon and egg yolks, while provitamin A carotenoids are found in plant foods, including sweet potatoes, kale and cabbage.

Foods highest in preformed vitamin A are:

* Egg yolks

* Beef liver

* Liverwurst

* Butter

* COD liver oil

* Chicken liver

* Salmon

* Cheddar cheeses

* Liver sausage

* King mackerel

 

Foods high in provitamin A carotenoids like beta-carotene include,

* Sweet potatoes

* Pumpkin

* Carrots

* Kale

* Spinach

* Dandelion greens

* Cabbage

* Red peppers

* Collard greens

* Parsley

Toxicity and Dosage Recommendations:

Just like Vitamin A deficiency can negatively impact your health, getting it too much can also be dangerous.

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin A is 900 mcg and 700 mcg per day for men and women, respectively, which can be easily reached by following a whole-food diet.

However, it’s important not to exceed the tolerable upper limit (UL) of 10,000 IU (3,000 mcg) for adults to prevent toxicity. As suggested by reputed Bariatric & Laparoscopic Surgeon Dr. Jayashree Todkar.