Quick answer

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin your eyes, immune system and skin rely on, and cells need it to grow and specialize. Men need 900 mcg RAE a day and women 700 mcg RAE, which most Americans get from food. Preformed vitamin A has an adult upper limit of 3,000 mcg a day.^1,2

Key facts

Vitamin A comes in two kinds: preformed vitamin A from animal foods and most supplements, and beta-carotene and other carotenoids from plants, which the body converts.¹
Average intakes from food were 682 mcg RAE a day for men and 616 mcg RAE for women in 2017 to 2018, yet in earlier national data fewer than 1% of Americans had the low blood levels that signal a shortage.²
The upper limit applies to preformed vitamin A only. No upper limit is set for beta-carotene.¹
Smokers, and possibly former smokers, should avoid supplements with large amounts of beta-carotene or vitamin A.³
The isotretinoin label says to avoid supplements that contain vitamin A.⁴

What vitamin A does

Vitamin A is the name for a group of fat-soluble compounds, mainly retinol and retinyl esters. NIH lists its jobs as vision, immune function, reproduction, growth and development, and communication between cells.²

Vitamin A is an essential part of rhodopsin, the light-sensitive protein in the retina that responds to light entering the eye.²

Vitamin A helps cells grow and specialize, which the body needs to form and maintain the heart, lungs, eyes and other organs.²

Because vitamin A is fat soluble, the body stores the excess, mostly in the liver, and the amount stored can build up.²

Blood retinol does not fall until the liver's stores are almost used up, so a blood test is not a reliable early measure of vitamin A status.²

The body turns retinol into retinal and retinoic acid, the two forms that do the work. Beta-carotene from plants is converted in the intestine first, and how well that happens varies from person to person.²

What the evidence shows

Each statement below has a grade for how solid the evidence is, and the amount it rests on. All four describe what getting enough vitamin A does. None of them is a reason to take more than the recommended amount.

Contributes to the maintenance of normal vision*^1,2,5

Moderate evidence

A long-established role of the vitamin. NIH describes vitamin A as an essential part of rhodopsin, the light-sensitive protein in the retina, and as needed for the normal working of the cornea and the membranes that cover the eye. The EU list of permitted nutrient-function statements, based on reviews by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), includes this wording for foods that are at least a source of vitamin A. It describes what getting enough does; it is not a finding that extra vitamin A changes eyesight in people who already get enough.

Amount studied: The recommended intake: 900 mcg RAE a day for men and 700 mcg RAE for women, from food and supplements together

Contributes to the normal function of the immune system*^2,5

Moderate evidence

NIH describes vitamin A as involved in immune function, and the EU permits this wording, after EFSA review, for foods that are at least a source of vitamin A. The illness research NIH summarizes was done in young children in low-income countries who were short of vitamin A, so it does not show that extra vitamin A helps well-fed adults. The statement is about getting enough.

Amount studied: The recommended intake: 900 mcg RAE a day for men and 700 mcg RAE for women, from food and supplements together

Contributes to the maintenance of normal skin and mucous membranes*^2,5

Moderate evidence

Both are on the EU list of permitted nutrient-function statements for vitamin A, after EFSA review, and NIH describes vitamin A's role in normal cell growth and specialization. They are about getting enough. They are not evidence that extra vitamin A from supplements changes how skin looks, and regular high intakes of preformed vitamin A can dry the skin. Retinoid creams and prescription retinoids are different products and are not covered by these statements.

Amount studied: The recommended intake: 900 mcg RAE a day for men and 700 mcg RAE for women, from food and supplements together

Helps you reach the recommended daily vitamin A intake*^2,3

Moderate evidence

In national survey data from 2017 to 2018, average vitamin A intakes from food and drink were 682 mcg RAE a day for men and 616 mcg RAE for women, below the recommended 900 and 700 mcg RAE, although in 2003 to 2006 data fewer than 1% of Americans had the low blood levels that signal a shortage. In a study of 90,771 adults, vitamins A and E and zinc were the nutrients whose intakes rose most when multivitamins were counted, and 10% to 15% of multivitamin users had excessive intakes of vitamin A, iron and zinc.

Amount studied: Recommended intake: 900 mcg RAE a day for men and 700 mcg RAE for women, from all sources

Preformed vitamin A and beta-carotene

Most vitamin A supplements supply preformed vitamin A as retinyl acetate or retinyl palmitate. The body absorbs 70% to 90% of the preformed vitamin A in supplements.^1,2

Beta-carotene is a provitamin A that the body converts into vitamin A. From supplements, 8.7% to 65% of it is absorbed, and 2 mcg of supplemental beta-carotene counts as 1 mcg RAE.²

Vitamin A is measured in mcg of retinol activity equivalents (RAE). One mcg RAE equals 1 mcg of retinol, 2 mcg of beta-carotene from supplements, 12 mcg of beta-carotene from food, or 24 mcg of alpha-carotene or beta-cryptoxanthin from food.²

The difference matters for safety. The upper limit applies only to preformed vitamin A, while beta-carotene supplements carry a separate caution for smokers, covered below.^1,3

How much you need

Men 19 and older need 900 mcg RAE of vitamin A a day from all sources.^1,2

Women 19 and older need 700 mcg RAE a day, 770 mcg RAE during pregnancy and 1,300 mcg RAE while breastfeeding.^1,2

Most people in the United States reach these amounts from food. The dosage guide covers teens and children, the IU figures on older labels, and the upper limits by age.¹

Where it comes from in food

Preformed vitamin A is found in beef liver and other organ meats, fish such as herring and salmon, eggs, and dairy products such as milk and cheese.^1,2

Beta-carotene and other provitamin A carotenoids come from green leafy vegetables, orange and yellow vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots and winter squash, tomato products, and fruits such as cantaloupe, mangos and apricots.^1,2

Liver is so rich that a single 3 ounce serving holds more than twice the adult upper limit for preformed vitamin A. The food sources guide lists the amounts per serving.²

What's in ours

What’s in ours

Men's Multi: Vitamin A, 600 mcg RAE per serving, from the label

The vitamin A in our multivitamin is all beta-carotene, so it does not count toward the upper limit for preformed vitamin A. The label amount is below the daily amount recommended for adults, and most people also get vitamin A from food.^1,2

Side effects, medicines, and who should ask first

The upper limit for preformed vitamin A is 3,000 mcg a day for adults 19 and older, including in pregnancy and while breastfeeding, and 2,800 mcg for teens 14 to 18. It counts food, drinks and supplements, and it is lower for children: 600 mcg up to age 3, 900 mcg at 4 to 8 and 1,700 mcg at 9 to 13. The limits do not apply to people taking vitamin A under a doctor's care. No upper limit is set for beta-carotene, but the Food and Nutrition Board advises against beta-carotene supplements for the general population except as a source of vitamin A.^1,2

Too much preformed vitamin A in pregnancy can cause birth defects, including malformations of the eye, skull, lungs and heart.^1,2

In two large trials, smokers, and in one also people exposed to asbestos, who took 20 to 30 mg of beta-carotene a day had more lung cancer and more deaths. NIH says smokers, and possibly former smokers, should avoid multivitamins with large amounts of beta-carotene or vitamin A.^2,3

Avoid the combination unless your doctor advises it

The isotretinoin label says to avoid using it with supplements that contain vitamin A, because isotretinoin is closely related to vitamin A and the combination may lead to isotretinoin's adverse reactions. NIH says retinoid medicines taken with vitamin A supplements can raise the risk of vitamin A toxicity, and MedlinePlus lists vitamin A supplements among the products that may interact with isotretinoin.^2,4,6

On the medicine's label

NIH also names orlistat, a weight-loss medicine that lowers the absorption of vitamin A and beta-carotene, and the retinoid medicines acitretin and bexarotene, which can push vitamin A to toxic levels when taken with vitamin A supplements.^1,2

Ask first if you are pregnant, could become pregnant or are breastfeeding
Ask first if you smoke, used to smoke or have worked with asbestos
Ask first if you take orlistat or a retinoid medicine
Ask first if you have a liver condition, or a condition that affects fat absorption such as cystic fibrosis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or celiac disease
Ask a doctor or pharmacist before giving a vitamin A supplement to a child

Questions people ask

What does vitamin A do for your skin?

The EU accepts that vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal skin and mucous membranes, which is graded above. That is about not running short. It does not show that vitamin A pills change how skin looks, and regular high intakes of preformed vitamin A can dry the skin. Retinoid creams are a different product.^2,5

Are the benefits different for men?

No. Vitamin A does the same jobs in men and women; men need more of it, 900 mcg RAE a day against 700 mcg RAE for women. The upper limit for preformed vitamin A, 3,000 mcg a day, is the same for both.²

Is beta-carotene the same as vitamin A?

Not quite. Beta-carotene is a plant pigment the body converts into vitamin A, and 2 mcg of it from a supplement counts as 1 mcg RAE. It has no upper limit and is not known to cause birth defects, but high-dose beta-carotene supplements are not advised for smokers.^2,3

Can you take too much vitamin A?

Yes, if it is preformed vitamin A. Adults should stay under 3,000 mcg a day from food and supplements combined. Very large doses cause headache, blurred vision and nausea, and regular high intakes can harm the liver. Beta-carotene does not cause the same problems, though large amounts can tint the skin yellow-orange.^1,2

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Sources

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.