Should You Maximize Your Vitamin A Absorption?

Vitamin A Absorption

In the diet, vitamin A normally shows up as either retinol or beta-carotene from a variety of food sources from pumpkin, to green vegetables, to organ meats. Because these items are rich in nutrients to begin with, it's not always necessary to understand how to best absorb vitamin A from these natural sources.

However, when supplementation becomes part of your diet, your absorption of vitamin A may suffer simply because some daily vitamin supplements don't have every ingredient needed for maximum vitamin absorption. For example, do you take zinc with your vitamin A supplement? What about other minerals? Are you taking vitamin A with fats?

These and other aspects of vitamin A will either benefit or hinder its absorption. Here's a short list of facts regarding vitamin A absorption...

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. It can only be absorbed when taken with some sort of dietary fat (such as after or during a meal).

Vitamin E is also required for the proper usage of vitamin A. Make sure your supplement has both vitamin A and vitamin E together.

Some drugs may inhibit the absorption of vitamin A. Check with your doctor to make sure your medications aren't blocking your nutrient intake.

Zinc may also help the body properly utilize vitamin A (no, this doesn't mean you need to go out and buy zinc supplements - it's just a little factoid). Trivia, if you will.

Avoid using laxatives within 3 hours of a meal. This either removes or destroys many of the nutrients you just ate, not just vitamin A.

Alcohol inhibits vitamin A absorption, along with other critical nutrients. For some drinkers, a significant number of their daily calories come from alcohol meaning they're eating much less than they should. Vitamin absorption and intake volume will suffer and malnutrition may result. The most common vitamin deficiencies in alcoholics include thiamine, vitamin B12 and folic acid.

If you're taking vitamin A supplements for its antioxidant function, don't take beta-carotene by itself. It actually doesn't have much effect on the body in the way of antioxidant activity. Taking a complex of carotenoids (all vitamin A derivatives) is much better.

Because vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, it isn't excreted in the urine but rather stored in the liver and fatty tissues. Taking too many vitamin A supplements or megadoses will cause an accumulation of vitamin A, possibly leading to symptoms of vitamin A toxicity.

How is Vitamin A Absorption Carried Out In The Body?

Vitamin A absorption occurs in the form of beta-carotene and retinyl esters in the intestine from the various food sources. From here, these compounds enter the intestinal cells and are converted completely to retinyl esters. These esters then travel through the lymph via chylomicrons (trafficking and signaling molecules) to the liver, where they're either stored or immediately used.

Remember, vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, so simple excretion of the excess isn't possible as with the water-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins B1-B12 and vitamin C). Taking in too much can overload the liver and cause damage! Read more about vitamin A toxicity.

Return from Vitamin A Absorption to the Nutrition Guide

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