Vitamin A

One of the fat-soluble vitamins, vitamin A doesn’t have to be eaten every day because your body can store it.

The downside is that it’s possible to eat too much, which can be harmful, particularly for pregnant women.

However, like all vitamins, it is absolutely essential for good health, especially for skin, eyes and immune function.

Where can I get it?

There are plant and animal sources of vitamin A.

The plant source is called beta-carotene – it’s what’s called a ‘vitamin A’ precursor’, which simply means that it’s turned into vitamin A in the body and goes on to perform the same functions.

It’s easy to identify sources of beta-carotene because it’s what gives colour to yellow and orange fruit and vegetables. Carrots and red peppers, mango, melon and apricots are all good sources, as well as green (leafy) vegetables like spinach.

The animal source is known as retinol. Cheese, eggs, oily fish like mackerel, milk, fortified margarine and yoghurt are all good sources of vitamin A.

Liver is an especially rich source and it’s recommended that you don’t eat liver or liver products like pâté more than once a week.

How much should I eat?

The recommended intake of vitamin A is 0.7mg a day for men and 0.6mg a day for women. This can quite easily be achieved by eating a varied, balanced diet.

However, if you eat liver or liver products such as pâté once a week, you are likely to be having around 1.5mg of vitamin A per day.

Many multivitamins and fish oil supplements contain vitamin A, often in high amounts, but this is one of those cases where more isn’t necessarily better.

Studies have shown that if you consume vitamin A in high amounts, over a long period (many years), the strength of your bones may be reduced and this can increase the risk of hip fracture.

There’s also a strong link between high levels of vitamin A during pregnancy and birth defects, which is why pregnant women are advised to avoid vitamin A-rich liver and liver products and also to avoid any supplements which contain vitamin A (unless your doctor has advised otherwise).

Except when liver and liver products are consumed more than once a week, supplements are more likely to cause over-consumption than dietary sources because they can contain such high doses. Check how much vitamin A is in your supplements – if you’re taking more than 1.5mg (1500 micrograms) every day then you should consider changing to another supplement, or getting your vitamins and minerals from a varied, balanced diet.

What does it do?

Don’t be put off by the warnings – vitamin A is absolutely essential for health and, apart from regular users of some supplements and liver-lovers, the amount we obtain from our diet is perfectly safe.

The functions of vitamin A are incredibly important. It helps keep your immune system strong to fight infections, helps vision in dim light (which is why mum says that carrots help you see in the dark!) and helps keep skin healthy.

Vitamin A deficiency is very uncommon in this country, because there are so many dietary sources. In some developing countries, however, it’s still a real problem. It can lead to night blindness, growth retardation, increased susceptibility to infection, increased child mortality and reduced male fertility. If pregnant women suffer from vitamin A deficiency it can result in birth defects.