Overview

What is vitamin A?

What are vitamin A’s main benefits?

What are vitamin A’s main drawbacks?

How does vitamin A work?

Dosage Information

Vitamin A RDA

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is the amount of vitamin A that should be consumed daily to meet the nutritional needs of most people without health conditions. The RDA is given in retinol activity equivalents (RAE) to allow for the inclusion of both preformed vitamin A and provitamin A carotenoids. ^[1]

AGE	MALE	FEMALE	PREGNANT	LACTATING
0–6 months	400 μg RAE*	400 μg RAE*	—	—
7–12 months	500 μg RAE*	500 μg RAE*	—	—
1–3 years	300 μg RAE	300 μg RAE	—	—
4–8 years	400 μg RAE	400 μg RAE	—	—
9–13 years	600 μg RAE	600 μg RAE	—	—
14–18 years	900 μg RAE	700 μg RAE	750 μg RAE	1,200 μg RAE
19–50 years	900 μg RAE	700 μg RAE	770 μg RAE	1,300 μg RAE
>50 years	900 μg RAE	700 μg RAE	—	—

RAE, retinol activity equivalents: 1 μg RAE = 1 μg retinol = 12 μg beta-carotene = 24 μg α-carotene or β-cryptoxanthin
* Adequate intake (AI)
Reference: Institute of Medicine. Vitamin A (chapter 12 of Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc_ The National Academies Press. 2001. DOI: 10.17226/10026)

Vitamin A UL

The tolerable upper intake level (UL) is the maximum daily amount of preformed vitamin A (from food, beverages, and supplements combined) that is unlikely to cause the adverse effect of liver abnormalities, or for women of childbearing age, teratogenicity (birth defects).^[1]

Ages	Upper limit of daily intake
Birth to 12 months	600 μg
Children 1–3 years	600 μg
Children 4–8 years	900 μg
Children 9–13 years	1,700 μg
Teens 14–18 years	2,800 μg
Adults 19 years and older	3,000 μg

Examine Database: Vitamin A

Health Condition/Goal	Health Outcome	Evidence
Infant Health	4 outcomes	7 Studies
Skin Health	7 outcomes	5 Studies
Multiple Sclerosis	1 outcome	1 Study
Pneumonia	2 outcomes	5 Studies
Respiratory Health	2 outcomes	1 Study

4 outcomes

7 outcomes

1 outcome

2 outcomes

2 outcomes

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Vitamin A did not improve outcomes in children with sepsis

In this randomized controlled trial in 156 children who were hospitalized for sepsis, supplementing with vitamin A reduced the length of hospital stay and mortality rate, but only in the participants who had vitamin A deficiency.

Do vitamins help very preterm infants?

A multi-ingredient supplement for the treatment of non-cystic acne in young adult

Supplements for cognitive function in older adults

Vitamin A and the risk of infant respiratory diseases

Frequently Asked Questions

What is retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4)?

What are the causes, signs, and symptoms of vitamin A deficiency?

What are the drawbacks of tretinoin and isotretinoin?

What are the effects of supplementation with beta-carotene?

Is vitamin A status associated with chronic conditions?

What are other names for Vitamin A?

Update History

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Research written by

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Research written by

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Research written by

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References

Examine Database References

Hyperpigmentation - Weinstein GD, Nigra TP, Pochi PE, Savin RC, Allan A, Benik K, Jeffes E, Lufrano L, Thorne EGTopical tretinoin for treatment of photodamaged skin. A multicenter studyArch Dermatol.(1991 May)
Hyperpigmentation - Griffiths CE, Goldfarb MT, Finkel LJ, Roulia V, Bonawitz M, Hamilton TA, Ellis CN, Voorhees JJTopical tretinoin (retinoic acid) treatment of hyperpigmented lesions associated with photoaging in Chinese and Japanese patients: a vehicle-controlled trialJ Am Acad Dermatol.(1994 Jan)
Hyperpigmentation - Griffiths CE, Kang S, Ellis CN, Kim KJ, Finkel LJ, Ortiz-Ferrer LC, White GM, Hamilton TA, Voorhees JJTwo concentrations of topical tretinoin (retinoic acid) cause similar improvement of photoaging but different degrees of irritation. A double-blind, vehicle-controlled comparison of 0.1% and 0.025% tretinoin creamsArch Dermatol.(1995 Sep)
Skin Thickness - Weiss JS, Ellis CN, Headington JT, Tincoff T, Hamilton TA, Voorhees JJTopical tretinoin improves photoaged skin. A double-blind vehicle-controlled studyJAMA.(1988 Jan 22-29)
Skin Quality - Kafi R, Kwak HS, Schumacher WE, Cho S, Hanft VN, Hamilton TA, King AL, Neal JD, Varani J, Fisher GJ, Voorhees JJ, Kang SImprovement of naturally aged skin with vitamin A (retinol)Arch Dermatol.(2007 May)
Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms - Sama Bitarafan, Aliakbar Saboor-Yaraghi, Mohammad-Ali Sahraian, Danesh Soltani, Shahriar Nafissi, Mansoureh Togha, Nahid Beladi Moghadam, Tina Roostaei, Niyaz Mohammadzadeh Honarvar, Mohammad-Hossein HarirchianEffect of Vitamin A Supplementation on fatigue and depression in Multiple Sclerosis patients: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical TrialIran J Allergy Asthma Immunol.(2016 Feb)
Infant Death Risk - Darlow BA, Graham PJ, Rojas-Reyes MXVitamin A supplementation to prevent mortality and short- and long-term morbidity in very low birth weight infants.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.(2016-Aug-22)
Infant Death Risk - Mayo-Wilson E, Imdad A, Herzer K, Yakoob MY, Bhutta ZAVitamin A supplements for preventing mortality, illness, and blindness in children aged under 5: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ.(2011-Aug-25)
Infant Death Risk - Aamer Imdad, Zunirah Ahmed, Zulfiqar A BhuttaVitamin A supplementation for the prevention of morbidity and mortality in infants one to six months of ageCochrane Database Syst Rev.(2016 Sep 28)
Infant Death Risk - Imdad A, Mayo-Wilson E, Haykal MR, Regan A, Sidhu J, Smith A, Bhutta ZAVitamin A supplementation for preventing morbidity and mortality in children from six months to five years of age.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.(2022-Mar-16)
Infant Death Risk - Haider BA, Sharma R, Bhutta ZANeonatal vitamin A supplementation for the prevention of mortality and morbidity in term neonates in low and middle income countries.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.(2017-Feb-24)
Infant Death Risk - Rakshasbhuvankar AA, Pillow JJ, Simmer KN, Patole SKVitamin A supplementation in very-preterm or very-low-birth-weight infants to prevent morbidity and mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.Am J Clin Nutr.(2021-Dec-01)
Lung Function - Phattraprayoon N, Ungtrakul T, Soonklang K, Susantitaphong POral vitamin A supplementation in preterm infants to improve health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One.(2022)
Pneumonia Symptoms - Li Y, Zhang R, Li Z, Zhai QThe Relationship of Vitamin A and Neonatal Respiratory Diseases: A Meta-Analysis.Clin Respir J.(2024 Sep 30)

Vitamin A

Overview

What is vitamin A?

What are vitamin A’s main benefits?

What are vitamin A’s main drawbacks?

How does vitamin A work?

Dosage InformationMedical disclaimer

Examine Database: Vitamin A

Safety InformationNew

Research FeedRead all studies

Frequently Asked Questions

What is retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4)?

What are the causes, signs, and symptoms of vitamin A deficiency?

What are the drawbacks of tretinoin and isotretinoin?

What are the effects of supplementation with beta-carotene?

Is vitamin A status associated with chronic conditions?

What are other names for Vitamin A?

Update History

Drug-induced nutrient depletion information addedmajor

Safety Information addedmajor

Full page updatemajor

References

Examine Database References

Examine Database: Vitamin A

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Research FeedRead all studies

Examine Database References

Dosage Information

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