Medical Health Encyclopedia

Injury Disease Nutrition Poison Symptoms Surgery Test Special Topic

A B C D F G H I K L M N P R S T V W Z

Vitamin A benefit Vitamin A source

Overview Food Sources Recommendations Side Effects

Vitamin A

Alternative Names: Retinol; Carotenoids  Food Sources: The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin A is 5,000 international units (IU) for adults and 1,000-3,000 IU for children. Text Continues Below Vitamin A comes from animal sources, such as eggs, meat, milk, cheese, cream, liver, kidney, cod, and halibut fish oil. However, all of these sources -- except for skim milk that has been fortified with Vitamin A -- are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Sources of beta-carotene are carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, cantaloupe, pink grapefruit, apricots, broccoli, spinach, and most dark green, leafy vegetables. The more intense the color of a fruit or vegetable, the higher the beta-carotene content. These vegetable sources of beta-carotene are free of fat and cholesterol. The body regulates the conversion of beta-carotene to Vitamin A based on its needs. References: Ford MD, Clinical Toxicology. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2001:297 Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 2001.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.