Vitamin A Overdose

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jeb3316
jeb3316 Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am eating 2300 calories a day. I have my vitamin A goal to be 100%. After eating today which mostly consisted of chicken, eggs, spinach, brown rice, carrots and then taking a multivitamin (vitamin A 75%, 14% beta caratine) my percentage is 450% for vitamin A. Dealing in % I can't compare it to the internet which says you can get too much. Am I in danger?

Replies

  • mjudd1990
    mjudd1990 Posts: 222 Member
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    You're fine. While Vitamin A (as well as D,E,K) are fat soluble vitamins and thus can accumulate making you more prone to overdosing (hypervitaminosis) it's going to take more than one day of going over the daily limit to do anything. Just don't make a habit of it.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    Not in one day. And not from vegetables. Plants have carotenoids which the body can convert to vitamin A. As I understand it, preformed vitamin A is only found in animal products - the chicken and eggs, and dairy f you ate it.
  • RedSierra
    RedSierra Posts: 253 Member
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    http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/vitamin-a/safety/hrb-20060201

    Here's some info about Vitamin A safety.

    Do you need the multivitamin? If you are getting enough vitamins from food, perhaps stop taking the multivitamin -- or take a targeted vitamin instead of a multi.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    No danger. Even if you turned orange you are still out of the danger zone.

    It's 2300 IU RDA for women.
    http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/vitamin-a/dosing/hrb-20060201

    Single dose Acute toxicity is 25,000 IU per KG body weight. So an adult would have to consume 2 million IU in a single dose. That's more than a hundred of your multivitamins.

    http://www.rxlist.com/aquasol-a-drug.htm#overdosage
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    As others have mentioned, due to the differences between beta-carotene and preformed retinol, you're only in danger of hypervitaminosis A if you're getting it from animal sources. About the only way to do this with your caloric values, would be eating liver on a daily basis.
  • jeb3316
    jeb3316 Posts: 2 Member
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    Cool. Thanks everyone. After looking at it closer I don't even really need the multi vitamin. I just wish this app showed all the other micronutrients so I could know where those levels are just from food.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    jeb3316 wrote: »
    Cool. Thanks everyone. After looking at it closer I don't even really need the multi vitamin. I just wish this app showed all the other micronutrients so I could know where those levels are just from food.

    Problem is, most labels don't so the app has nowhere to take that info from.
  • a_candler
    a_candler Posts: 209 Member
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    I recently took a nutrition class and what I learned if when you are eating a variety of fruits and veggies you don't need a multi vitamin! with many vitamins it's easy to reach the Max rec dose if eating healthy along with a daily vitamin.

    And yes, 1 day of highs won't cause harm, but doing this on a reg basis can
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    edited August 2017
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    a_candler wrote: »
    I recently took a nutrition class and what I learned if when you are eating a variety of fruits and veggies you don't need a multi vitamin! with many vitamins it's easy to reach the Max rec dose if eating healthy along with a daily vitamin.

    And yes, 1 day of highs won't cause harm, but doing this on a reg basis can

    Not necessarily. Some minerals are only rich in very specific plants and animal sources. Zinc is a notable example. It's best sources are oysters, beans, and nuts. The issue with beans and nuts is that they are pretty calorie dense, so often avoided by people trying to lose weight. I also don't know many people who eat oysters on an even halfway regular basis.

    Vitamin D is another good example. It's found in almost no foods, and most people don't get anywhere near enough sunlight to compensate.

    Methylcobalamin is another one. Eat much liver and/or clams?
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    a_candler wrote: »
    I recently took a nutrition class and what I learned if when you are eating a variety of fruits and veggies you don't need a multi vitamin! with many vitamins it's easy to reach the Max rec dose if eating healthy along with a daily vitamin.

    And yes, 1 day of highs won't cause harm, but doing this on a reg basis can

    There is nothing wrong with reaching and exceeding the recommended doses. They are what are known as insurance doses, enough to stop you becoming deficient. They are no where near the optimum dose.

    The nutrient value of the soil we grow food in has dropped dramatically over the years, selenium as an example. We can't guarantee the levels in our food.

    I'm sticking with my multi vit a few times a week.

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