How much Vitamin A (Retinol) should I take daily?

Introduction

Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is an essential nutrient important for vision, growth, immune function, and skin health. Determining the appropriate daily intake of vitamin A is crucial for maintaining health and preventing toxicity.

Key Insights from Research Papers

The daily biological need for vitamin A is estimated at 800 RE (2667 IU) for adult women and 1000 RE (3300 IU) for adult men; doses ≥ 7500 RE (≥ 25000 IU) may be potentially toxic over the long term.
Dietary Reference Values for vitamin A have been set at 750 µg RE/day for men and 650 µg RE/day for women in the European Union, with higher amounts recommended during pregnancy and lactation.
Recent studies suggest that the bioavailability of provitamin A carotenoids is overestimated, and higher amounts of beta-carotene may be required to meet the recommended daily intake of vitamin A.
Daily supplementation with a lipid-based nutrient supplement providing approximately the recommended daily intake of vitamin A does not increase breast milk retinol concentrations, indicating that this level of intake is safe for lactating women.
Oral doses of vitamin A up to 30,000 IU/day, in addition to dietary intake, do not alter plasma retinol concentrations significantly and are considered without safety concern in non-pregnant women.

Conclusion

The recommended daily intake of vitamin A varies slightly by region and life stage, with general guidelines suggesting 800-1000 RE (2667-3300 IU) for adults, and higher amounts for pregnant and lactating women. Long-term consumption of vitamin A at doses below 7500 RE (25000 IU) per day is considered safe for adults. Supplementation at levels around the recommended daily intake does not significantly alter plasma retinol concentrations, indicating that these levels are safe and do not pose a risk of toxicity.

How much Vitamin A (Retinol) should I take daily?

Summary

Introduction

Key Insights from Research Papers

Conclusion

Sources and full results

Safety of <7500 RE (<25000 IU) vitamin A daily in adults with retinitis pigmentosa.

Long-term daily consumption of 7500 retinol equivalents (25000 IU) vitamin A is considered safe in adults with retinitis pigmentosa, without causing clinical symptoms or liver toxicity.

Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for vitamin A

The Dietary Reference Values for vitamin A are 570 g RE/day for men and 490 g RE/day for women, with PRIs of 750 g RE/day for men and 650 g RE/day for women.

Meeting requirements for vitamin A.

The recommended daily intake of 600 retinol equivalents for adult males is significantly below current intake levels, necessitating a new combination of approaches to combat vitamin A deficiency.

Metabolism, plasma transport and biliary excretion of radioactive vitamin A and its metabolites as a function of liver reserves of vitamin A in the rat.

The ratio of serum retinol to liver retinol is constant at daily doses of 8-176 micrograms/day, and the biliary excretion rate of vitamin A metabolites varies rapidly with liver concentrations.

Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements Providing Approximately the Recommended Daily Intake of Vitamin A Do Not Increase Breast Milk Retinol Concentrations among Ghanaian Women.

Daily consumption of approximately the recommended intake of vitamin A did not increase breast milk retinol concentrations in this sample of Ghanaian women.

Exposure to Retinyl Esters, Retinol, and Retinoic Acids in Non-Pregnant Women following Increasing Single and Repeated Oral Doses of Vitamin A

Repeated oral doses of up to 30,000 IU of vitamin A in addition to dietary vitamin A were without safety concerns, with plasma concentrations and exposure to retinoic acids remaining at levels previously shown to be without increased risk of teratogenicity in pregnant women.

Human plasma all-trans-, 13-cis- and 13-cis-4-oxoretinoic acid profiles during subchronic vitamin A supplementation: comparison to retinol and retinyl ester plasma levels.

13-cis-4-oxoretinoic acid shows potential as a biochemical marker of vitamin A uptake in humans, with high and consistent steady-state concentrations.

Vitamin A supplementation every 6 months with retinol in 1 million pre-school children in north India: DEVTA, a cluster-randomised trial

Periodic vitamin A supplementation in pre-school children in north India reduced the prevalence of severe deficiency and mortality rates at ages 10-60 years.

The effect of vitamin A supplementation on serum retinol and retinol binding protein levels.

Vitamin A supplementation with retinyl palmitate increases serum retinol levels, but not retinol binding protein, without significant toxicity.

Vitamin A supplementation and plasma retinol levels: a randomized trial among women.

Vitamin A supplementation increases blood retinol levels in well-fed female health workers with lower than usual levels, with greater responses in those with lower previous vitamin A intake.

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