Vitamin A overdose

queenhiphop

Everyday I tend to eat about 500% over my RDA of vitamin A.......... I have looked at my diary and I think it is mainly because I eat a lot of spinach. I am reading about vitamin A online and I have heard that it can be bad for you to have this much over the long term - are there any truths in these claims? I do not want to stop eating spinach because it is so good for you. Please let me know!

Thanks,

Georgina

EvgeniZyntx

Yes, vitamin overdoses are dangerous. In my lab-rat days we saw a few. However, if you are not taking supplements you should be fine -- at 500% from food, you are at the limit of "carrot juice syndrome". The cases we saw where at 10-40+ x RDA. So be careful, especially if it is everyday.

queenhiphop

Oh gosh. So what can happen? I had no idea I was eating so much vit A. So would you suggest stopping the spinach everyday and maybe only have it every other day? I need to keep my iron levels higher than average and spinach really helps

somanyrhoades

Eat all the spinach you want! Retinoids are the compounds that are toxic to your body. They are found in most vitamin supplements, meat, fish and (interestingly) extroidinarily high concentration in arctic animal livers (so, no polar bear, husky, or seal liver lol). The type of vitamin A found in plants (such as spinach, carrots etc) has betocarotene in it, which is a precursor to vitamin A and selectivley changes into retinoids. So you will be fine as long as your vitamin A isn't coming from animal products or pills!

As a side note, i saw a couple people lately on here who didn't realize that you could OD on vitamins. Primarily this applies to fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E and K) because the body stores the excess in the liver instead of excreting it the way it does wit wih water-soluble vitamins like the B's and C. Remember, just because something is "natural" doesn't mean that it can come without risks!

queenhiphop

Eat all the spinach you want! Retinoids are the compounds that are toxic to your body. They are found in most vitamin supplements, meat, fish and (interestingly) extroidinarily high concentration in arctic animal livers (so, no polar bear, husky, or seal liver lol). The type of vitamin A found in plants (such as spinach, carrots etc) has betocarotene in it, which is a precursor to vitamin A and selectivley changes into retinoids. So you will be fine as long as your vitamin A isn't coming from animal products or pills!

As a side note, i saw a couple people lately on here who didn't realize that you could OD on vitamins. Primarily this applies to fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E and K) because the body stores the excess in the liver instead of excreting it the way it does wit wih water-soluble vitamins like the B's and C. Remember, just because something is "natural" doesn't mean that it can come without risks!

I was aware that you could 'overdose' on vitamins but I did not realise how much A I was consuming. Luckily I think 80% of it is from my spinach and carrot in my lunchtime salad, and the rest is from little things, including meat. I rarely eat liver. So is this vitamin A intake okay, even though it is 5-6 times over? I am trying to focus more on vitamins lately along with iron and calcium so I have been paying a lot of attention to what food contains what.

Oh I do not take ANY supplements by the way, not out of purpose, just don't. Would you recommend I take anything to perhaps try to balance out this vitamin A intake??

As a side note, my boyfriend loves liver and has it 1-2 times a week..could this be dangerous? He is not fat (as you can see in my picture) but is not that healthy with his food choices unless I force him haha.

Thank you so much for your help.

EvgeniZyntx

Oh gosh. So what can happen? I had no idea I was eating so much vit A. So would you suggest stopping the spinach everyday and maybe only have it every other day? I need to keep my iron levels higher than average and spinach really helps

As long as you are not taking supplements you are ok (or eating 3 kg of carrots a day or juicing carrots).
If you feel dizzy, lose hair then consider reducing - Vit A issues at that level are harmless long term and reversible. Long term over supplemental vitamin A can lead to damage to the proprioreceptor system but you cannot get to those levels without pills.

ValerieMartini2Olives

I'm pretty sure a "vitamin overdose" is only caused by taking too many vitamin pills, not the food you eat.

queenhiphop

Thanks Zyntx. Glad I can continue with my spinach!

I'm pretty sure a "vitamin overdose" is only caused by taking too many vitamin pills, not the food you eat.

I'm glad you're sure.. I wasn't, hence why I asked

somanyrhoades

As far as taking supplements go I wouldn't, at least not without the recommendation of your doctor. I take vitamin D, only because I have been diagnosed with a real deficiency (my levels were at 16, they should be 32-100). As far as counteracting vitamin A, I don't know of anything that would do that, and it's really not necessary. Eating liver one to two times a week shouldn't hurt. It's pretty hard to EAT too much of a vitamin or mineral, the problem, as someone stated before, is supplements. Hope this helped!

magj0y

Looking at your food diary, I don't think you're going over your A at any sort of toxic level!!
However, you might have been a rabbit in a previous lifetime. Kudos for your veggie intake!

EvgeniZyntx

I'm pretty sure a "vitamin overdose" is only caused by taking too many vitamin pills, not the food you eat.

No. While it is much more likely to occur with the abuse of supplements, we've seen issues with too much carrot juice and no supplements.