Skin Discoloration And Vitamin A Overdose

Vitamin A belongs to a group of vitamins called fat-soluble vitamins. When fat-soluble vitamins enter the body, you use what you need and then your body is able to store excess amounts in your liver and fat tissues. Because the body has the ability to store excess vitamin A, consuming large amounts of vitamin A can lead to having excess amounts in the body.

Types of Vitamin A

Vitamin A is actually a general term for a group of substances called retinoids, which include retinol, retinal and retinoic acid. As a whole, these substances are referred to as preformed vitamin A. The only dietary sources of preformed vitamin A are foods from animal sources, such as organ meats, milk and eggs. Plant foods contain substances called provitamin A carotenoids, which are converted to retinol in your body. Carotenoids are yellow-red pigments that are responsible for the orange color of vegetables like carrots and butternut squash.

Carotenodermia

If you regularly consume excess amounts of plant foods that contain provitamin A carotenoids, you may develop a condition called carotenodermia. Excess amounts are defined by the Linus Pauling Institute as 30 mg or more per day. Carotenodermia is characterized by orange-colored skin, especially on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Because these areas have excess fat, the pigments in carortenoids can easily accumulate in the fat cells, visibly changing the color of the skin. Carotenodermia is not serious and does not lead to any other health complications. Restricting dietary intake of carotenoids can correct carotenodermia.

Toxicity

Because your body can store vitamin A, it can accumulate. Consuming excessive amounts of vitamin A for an extended period of time can cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness and blurred vision. If you consume more than the recommended dosage of vitamin A for an extended period of time, it can lead to a condition called hypervitaminosis A, which is a serious condition in which vitamin A accumulates to toxic levels in the liver. If left untreated, hypervitaminosis A can lead to scarring of the liver and death.

Upper Tolerable Intake Levels

Because carotenodermia is not considered toxic, no upper tolerable intake level, or UL, has been set for vitamin A in the form of provitamin A carotenoids. The UL represents the highest amount of the vitamin that you can consume daily without experiencing any adverse health effects. The Food and Nutrition Board has set an upper tolerable intake level for preformed vitamin A, however. In order to prevent hypervitaminosis A, you should consume no more than 3,000 mg of preformed vitamin A on a daily basis.