how much vitamin A is too much?

Question

i was looking at a multivitamin that contained 10,000 IU of vitamin A that was 50% beta carotene and 50% fish liver oil...is that too much..please help

Answer 1

How much you need: The RDA for vitamin A is 4,000 IU a day for women, and 5,000 IU a day for men. Higher doses are typically given for specific ailments.

If you get too much: An overabundance of vitamin A can be a real problem. A single dose of 500,000 IU may induce weakness and vomiting. And as little as 25,000 IU a day for six years has been reported to cause serious liver disease (cirrhosis). Signs of toxicity include dry, cracking skin and brittle nails, hair that falls out easily, bleeding gums, weight loss, irritability, fatigue, and nausea.

Dosage: Multivitamins supply vitamin A, sometimes in the form of beta-carotene. For specific complaints in adults, up to 10,000 IU a day is generally safe for long-term use (except for pregnant women and those considering pregnancy, who should not exceed 5,000 IU a day).

Guidelines for use: Take supplements with food; a little fat in the diet aids absorption. Vitamin E and zinc help the body use vitamin A, which in turn boosts absorption of iron from foods.

Vitamin A Toxicity -
It usually occurs by taking more that 50,000-250,000 IU per day for more than 3 months.

Answer 2

Here is the real story. There are different forms of vit. A. One is the preformed vitamin A. This is the form that you can overdose on and in great amounts can cause birth defects, even can be toxic, but those doses are way way up there. Then there is the beta carotene form. You cannot overdose on beta carotene, your body will convert beta carotene to Vit. A as your body needs to. If you take a lot of beta carotene you will turn an orange color, but it is harmless and you would return to normal once you stop. This multi. you mentioned is just fine and you will not turn orange. Go for it.

Answer 3

Vitamins and Minerals have an International Recommended Daily Intake ( RDI ). The reliable producers of these supplements make sure that you won't get too much. They don't put the whole RDI in them because they know you are going to get additional intake from other sources such as liver for Vitamin A. Stick to a well known brand.

Answer 4

Anything above the Recommended Daily Allowance is too much. Excess vitamin A weakens bones, leading to osteoporosis. In one study, getting twice the RDA by taking two multivitamin tablets daily significantly increased the risk of osteoporosis.

Answer 5

check out the info from NIH:

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamina.asp