The human body requires different daily amounts of vitamin A depending on a person's age and gender. Infants and children require a certain amount of vitamin A at different ages as they grow, but a person's daily vitamin A requirements remain relatively fixed after the age of 14. Consult a doctor if you have a medical condition that you think may be related to an inadequate or excessive intake of vitamin A.
Daily Amounts
The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine provides recommended daily intakes of vitamin A for infants, children and adults. Babies up to 6 months old require 400 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin A per day while babies between 7 months and 1 year old require 500 mcg per day.
Children between 1 and 3 years old require 300 mcg per day, 4- to 8-year-olds require 400 mcg per day and children between the ages of 9 and 13 years require 600 mcg per day.
As youngsters enter adolescence and adulthood, their bodies require different amounts of vitamin A per day depending on gender, according to Medline Plus. Males 14 and older require 900 mcg of vitamin A per day, while females 14 and older require 700 mcg per day.
Foods
Retinol and beta carotene are the two forms of vitamin A. Beta carotene is present in plant sources of vitamin A such as broccoli, carrots, kale, spinach, squash, and sweet potatoes. Retinol is present in liver and whole milk. Foods such as cheese, cream, and eggs are also excellent sources of vitamin A. Medline Plus warns that the food sources of vitamin A, with the exception of fruits and vegetables, contain excessive amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat.
Vitamin A Benefits
Vitamin A is responsible for the production of pigments in the retina and promotes strong vision in low light. Consuming adequate amounts of vitamin A is necessary to maintain healthy vision, healthy skin, and to help the body defend against infections. Your body also requires vitamin A to maintain healthy teeth, mucus membranes, skeletal tissue and soft tissue.
Considerations
Consuming an inadequate amount of vitamin A on a daily basis can damage your liver, weaken your body's defenses against infectious disease, and contribute to problems with your vision, according to Medline Plus. The website also reports that excessive amounts of vitamin A can contribute to birth defects such as craniotabes, which is a softening of the skull, and bulging fontanelle, which is an outward curving of a newborn's soft spot. Symptoms of vitamin A toxicity, or hypervitaminosis A, in adults can include blurred vision, bone pain, dizziness, drowsiness, hair loss, headache, increased sensitivity to sunlight, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, peeling skin and a yellowish skin discoloration.
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