Vitamin A

fteale
fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
edited October 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I have heard repeatedly that too much vitamin A is bad for you, as it prevents you using vitamin C, and causes scurvy. It's why polar bear livers are toxic, and I was repeatedly told in pregnancy not to have supplements with vitamin A in. Things like pumpkin always put me over my vitamin A recommendation by about 3 or 4 times.


And yet I have several times on here seen people cite things as "a great source of vitamin A".


So which is it?

Replies

  • alliebeck2
    alliebeck2 Posts: 34 Member
    Pumpkin is high in beta carotene, which is pro-vitamin A; absorption and conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A is dependent on your body's current levels of vitamin A and beta carotene. The negative side effects that you are referencing are from eating too many vitamin A supplements. I don't believe you can get too much vitamin A from foods, because it comes in the form of a pro-vitamin (such as beta carotene), and your body absorbs/uses it only on an as-needed basis.

    So eat all the pumpkins and carrots you want.
  • amandavictoria80
    amandavictoria80 Posts: 734 Member
    BUMP! I take a Vitamin A supplements and would love to know if I shouldn't be. I just take it for things like skin, hair, etc.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I would highly recommend researching this somewhere other than a message board.

    But, yes, too much vitamin A can be toxic. I do wonder, though, if it's similar to Vitamin D. Natural sources of D won't hurt you if you get too much, but too much from the supplements can be deadly.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    The RDA for vitamin A in female adults is 700IU. The tolerable upper intake level is 10,000IU. You should only be worried if MFP says you are over Vitamin A by 900-1000%

    Check out http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=106 for more information on the benefits of Vitamin A.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    Stupid double post :grumble:
  • jimmie25
    jimmie25 Posts: 266 Member
    seriously, why eat pills if you could eat carrots instead :D great snack and NATURAL vitamins. and over here ie. carrots are SO much cheaper than pills... so eating veggies (for the A, eat carrots) is kind of a win-win situation.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Pumpkin is high in beta carotene, which is pro-vitamin A; absorption and conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A is dependent on your body's current levels of vitamin A and beta carotene. The negative side effects that you are referencing are from eating too many vitamin A supplements. I don't believe you can get too much vitamin A from foods, because it comes in the form of a pro-vitamin (such as beta carotene), and your body absorbs/uses it only on an as-needed basis.

    So eat all the pumpkins and carrots you want.

    Yes, this ^^ I had never heard this, so I looked it up. Too much preformed vitamin A (supplements) can be bad, but too much beta-carotene is not.

    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vitamin-a/
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