Your body needs essential vitamins every day to function optimally. Vitamin A is one of 13 essential vitamins you should consume in the foods that you eat. There are minimum and maximum daily dosage recommendations for vitamin A, and if you eat too much or too little, you can develop health problems.
Recommended Dietary Allowance
The recommended dietary allowance is the minimum amount you need to consume to avoid health problems. The current RDA for vitamin A is 900 micrograms for adult men and 700 micrograms for adult women, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. It further states that this is the equivalent of 3,000 IU for men and 2,333 IU for women. This intake should come from food sources and any supplements that you take.
Toxicity
Oregon State University advises that the maximum daily intake of vitamin A is currently 3,000 micrograms or 10,000 IU per day. If you take too much, you can develop toxicity symptoms such as nausea, headache and fatigue, loss of appetite, dizziness, dry skin and cerebral edema. It may also lead to serious health problems such as liver damage, hemorrhage and coma. It adds that this is a rare condition and may relate to long-term consumption of vitamin A in excess of 10 times the RDA.
Function of Vitamin A
Vitamin A is essential because your body does not make it, but requires it each day. The body uses vitamin A for many functions. It is important for your vision, reproductive system, bone health, immune function and cell physiology. In addition to these essential functions, vitamin A is an important antioxidant that helps your body fight free radical damage. A deficiency in vitamin A can affect your body's ability to perform these functions. This can lead to symptoms such as dry eye, increased infections and blindness.
Considerations
The best way to ensure that you get ample vitamin A is to eat a balanced diet that contains foods high in the vitamin. Good sources include colorful fruits and vegetables such as carrots, cantaloupe, mango's and spinach. Animal sources include liver and whole milk. A daily multivitamin supplement is another good way to ensure that you get vitamin A daily.
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