Vitamin A in vegetables?

Question

When pregnant, we are advised not to eat liver etc; due to the high vitamin A content. When searching for a recipe for butternut squash soup I discovered that squash is also very high in vitamin A, however, I have never heard anything about this being damaging to the unborn baby.

Can anybody advise?

Answer 1

Vitamin A occurs in 2 forms - retinol and beta carotene. It is only the retinol form that can be dangerous during pregnancy.
Liver contains vitamin A in the retinol form.
Vitamin A in vegetables is in the beta carotene form, and there is no problem with eating lots of this during pregnancy as any excess will be excreted by the body. There are also lots of benefits to having beta carotene in the diet.
So you can eat your squash!

Answer 2

Women taking more than 10,000 IU of vitamin A during the first three months of pregnancy were 2.4 times more likely to deliver children with the birth defects. Women taking 20,000 IU were four times more likely to deliver children with birth defects.


While the risk of birth defects increased with high vitamin A, only 1 baby in 57 actually developed defects because of its mother's use of the vitamin. Conversely, 56 of 57 infants born to mothers consuming large doses of vitamin A had no birth defects.


Vitamin A is essential for normal cellular differentiation and in regulating organ development in the fetus. The researchers recommended that pregnant women either limit their vitamin A consumption to 4,000 to 8,000 IU daily or, alternatively, take beta-carotene
cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 3

I've never heard of that before - vitamin A is good for you - eat all the vegetables you want. maybe there's another reason to avoid liver?