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Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. This means you don't need it every day because any of the vitamin your body doesn't need immediately is stored for future use. You should be able to get all the vitamin A you need from your daily diet. This is: 0.7 mg a day for men 0.6 mg a day for women
Vitamin A has a number of important functions. For example it:
Some research suggests that having more than an average of 1.5mg per day of vitamin A over many years may affect your bones and make them more likely to fracture when you're older. Older people, particularly women, are already at risk of osteoporosis. This is where bone density reduces and so the risk of fractures increases. If you eat liver or liver products such as pâté once a week, you are likely to be having, on average, 1.5mg of vitamin A per day. If you aren't getting enough vitamin D, you might be more at risk of the harmful effects of too much vitamin A. People who may be particularly short of vitamin D include women of Asian origin who always cover up their skin when they're outside and older people who rarely get outdoors. So if you're short of this vitamin it might be a good idea to boost the amount of vitamin D you're getting. Good sources of vitamin D include oily fish and eggs. The best source of vitamin D is summer sunlight – but remember, if you're out in the sun, take care not to burn. Many multivitamins contain vitamin A. Other supplements, such as fish liver oil, are also high in vitamin A. So if you take supplements containing vitamin A, make sure you don't have more than a total of 1.5mg per day from your food and supplements. If you eat liver every week, you should avoid taking any supplements that contain vitamin A. If you're pregnant, having large amounts of vitamin A can harm your unborn baby. Therefore, if you are pregnant or thinking of having a baby, you should avoid eating liver or liver products such as pâté because these are very high in vitamin A. You should also avoid taking supplements that contain vitamin A. Ask your GP or midwife if you would like more information.
You should be able to get all the vitamin A you need by eating a varied and balanced diet. But if you do decide to take a supplement that contains vitamin A, it's a good idea not to take too much because this could be harmful. Liver is a very rich source of vitamin A. So, if you eat liver or liver products, such as pâté every week, you might want to think about not eating it more often. You should also take into account the amount of vitamin A in any supplements you are taking. Women who have been through the menopause, and older men, who are more at risk of osteoporosis, should avoid having more than 1.5mg of vitamin A a day. This means: