“Vitamin A?”Here!
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As a supplement
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Roll Call does not check drug interactions or assess personal safety.
A fat-soluble vitamin important for vision and immune function, obtained from animal sources as retinol or from plant sources as provitamin A carotenoids like beta-carotene, and added to supplements in either form.
Why it’s used
Taken to support vision, immune function, and skin health, and to correct deficiency where diet is insufficient.
What the evidence is for
supporting vision and immune function, and correcting deficiency.
What the evidence says
NIH ODS describes vitamin A's role in vision and immune function, and its importance in preventing deficiency, as well established, particularly in populations with limited dietary access. Evidence for benefit from supplementation in well-nourished populations without deficiency is limited, and excess preformed vitamin A has been linked to toxicity.
Dose studied
700–3000 mcg — RDA to tolerable upper intake level for adults, per NIH ODS.
Context
Much of the strongest evidence for vitamin A supplementation comes from studies in populations with widespread dietary deficiency, which limits how directly it applies to supplement use in well-nourished settings.
Rumors
Preventing the night blindness of vitamin A deficiency, and the corneal damage behind one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in children.
Supports — establishedhealth and safety evidence
Measured as an outcome.
- Vitamin A and Carotenoids Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (Regulatory) · Funding not checked
How much is a reference amount
- 700 mcg RAE a dayfor adults 19 and over, women · Recommended Dietary Allowance
Upper limit 3,000 mcg a day, from food and supplements together and only to preformed vitamin A (retinol and retinyl esters) — provitamin A carotenoids such as beta-carotene have no upper limit at all.
- 900 mcg RAE a dayfor adults 19 and over, men · Recommended Dietary Allowance
Upper limit 3,000 mcg a day, from food and supplements together and only to preformed vitamin A (retinol and retinyl esters) — provitamin A carotenoids such as beta-carotene have no upper limit at all.
The RDA is in retinol activity equivalents, which count carotenoids at a fraction of retinol. The upper limit is in plain mcg and covers PREFORMED vitamin A only — retinol and retinyl esters — because provitamin A carotenoids have no upper limit at all.
Every applicable line is shown because we don’t know which one is yours, and a reference intake is a target for a population, not a threshold for harm.