Facts About Vitamin A Toxicity

Facts About Vitamin A Supplements

Remember, too much of a good thing isn't always good! For example, taking in too much vitamin A while pregnant can cause fetal abnormalities, growth problems and possible miscarriage. Then again, not taking enough vitamin A can cause death of the fetus before pregnancy is known. Many other problems can arise, even if you're not pregnant.

Vitamin A overdose is no joke...

Vitamin A is stored in the liver in the form of retinyl esters when it's not immediately needed (it's not excreted in the urine like other water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin B12 or vitamin C). Therefore, a large intake of vitamin A will overload and damage the liver, leading to a condition known as hypervitaminosis A.

This problem can arise when people take too much in the way of daily vitamin supplements. This can happen without realizing it.

For example, taking large amounts of fish oil and essential fatty acid supplements can cause this toxicity because they contain large amounts of vitamin A (remember, it's a fat-soluble vitamin!).

Some symptoms of this condition include...

- Skin Dryness and Rashes

- Headaches (due to a rise in intracranial pressure)

- Hepatomegaly (enlarged liver)

- Liver Cirrhosis

- Diarrhea

- Irregular Menstrual Cycles

- Blurred Vision (possible blindness if severe)

- Hair Loss

- Fatigue

- Loss of Appetite

These facts about vitamin A toxicity can be extremely debilitating in some cases. It's important to avoid taking more than about 5 mg of vitamin A per day!! This is way too much, anyway. A normal adult doesn't ever need more than 1.0 mg (1000 mcg) of vitamin A per day. Check the recommended daily intake of vitamin A to make sure you're not getting too much. It's especially important to be sure that no child is taking any sort of vitamin A supplement (toxicity here is likely).

A vitamin A overdose would be difficult to get from only dietary sources because you probably wouldn't be able to eat enough! Some ancient Eskimos and arctic-dwelling individuals were believed to have died from vitamin A toxicity because their main source of food was the liver from polar bears! This is animal product (or any liver for that matter) contains a significant amount of vitamin A.

Our diets don't normally consist of polar bear livers, so eating tons of it (or any other food extremely rich in vitamin A) isn't very likely. Just be weary of consuming essential fatty acid pills and supplements as they might contain large amounts of vitamin A.

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