Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin found in eggs, organ meats and dairy products. This vitamin has many functions in your body. Severe acne is treated with topical vitamin A ointments. Having adequate amounts of vitamin A is also important for your vision. Certain types of cancer such as lung, breast, stomach and pancreatic cancer may benefit from vitamin A treatment, MayoClinic.com reports. While vitamin A is important to have in your body, it can be toxic at excessive levels. Talk with your physician before you begin taking vitamin A supplements.
Recommendations
The Recommended Daily Allowance, or RDA, for vitamin A is measured in either micrograms, mcg or International Units, IU. The amount you should consume each day varies on age and gender. Men ages 19 and over need 900 mcg per day while women need 700 mcg everyday. If you're pregnant, you need to consume around 750 mcg while breastfeeding will spike your intake to 1,300 mcg. Adolescents ages 9 to 18 need between 600 and 900 mcg each day. MayoClinic.com reports that you most likely get adequate amounts of vitamin A from your diet. Deficiency is rare in developed countries. Toxicity can occur if you add vitamin A supplements to your diet and ingest more than the RDA.
Toxicity Concerns
Vitamin A toxicity is also known as hypervitaminosis A. Fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, are stored in the fat in your body and cannot be excreted. For this reason, it's important to monitor your intake. Symptoms of vitamin A toxicity include nausea, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite and dry skin. Severe cases are rare, but they may result in liver damage or even death. Tolerable Upper Intakes, or TUI, indicate the maximum amount of vitamins you can take before toxicity occurs. Adults can safely consume up to 3,000 mcg of vitamin A, while adolescents can ingest up to 2,800 mcg. Your body size and composition may affect this amount. Follow up with your physician if you suspect you are suffering from a toxic level of vitamin A.
Behavior
If you're suffering from vitamin A toxicity, your behavior might be different than normal. You will feel overly tired and fatigued from doing your normal activities. Your appetite may also decrease or diminish all together. Severe headaches and dizziness may force you to refrain from things you enjoy or sleep excessively. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University reports that vitamin A toxicity symptoms usually occur with long-term high intakes of the vitamin. For these symptoms to occur regularly, you're probably consuming more than 8,000 mcg a day, which is well above the TUI.
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