Product: Vitamin A

Company: Natural Factors

Size: 180 Capsules

Ingredients: Vitamin A 10000iu (Fish Liver Oil)

Dosage: Take 1 capsule per day as a dietary supplement.

Contains no artificial preservatives, color, dairy, sweeteners, starch, wheat or yeast.

Description: Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin that occurs in nature as carotene or provitamin A, or preformed as retinol. Vitamin A is essential to maintaining vision and one of the first symptoms of vitamin A deficiency is night blindness. The human retina contains four kinds of Vitamin A - containing compounds.

Vitamin A is necessary to growth and repair of body tissues, especially epithelial cells - the skin, mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, throat and lungs. It helps those tissues resist infection and has often been called the 'anti-infective vitamin'.

Vitamin A maintains the lining of the digestive tract, kidneys, bladder; helps to build strong bones and teeth; it prompts secretion of gastric juices necessary to protein digestion. Reproduction, adrenal and thyroid hormone manufacture and activity, maintenance of nerve cell structure and function, general body immunity and cell growth are all aided by vitamin A.

Rich amounts of preformed vitamin A or retinol are found in liver, kidney, butter, whole milk and fish liver oils.

What is the safe dosage of Vitamin A?

Vitamin A is fat-soluable so is stored in the body. Toxic levels of retinol have been seen in adults with a daily dose of 50,000 international units (I.U.) or more over a long period of time. Vitamin A toxicity has been exaggerated but it may occur by those who excessively supplement their natural intake or eat large amounts of liver. Vitamin C may be valuable to prevent harmful effects of vitamin A toxicity.

Beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the body, has no toxicity.

How does Vitamin A differ from beta-carotene?

Beta-carotene or provitamin A is a natural pigment found in dark green and yellow vegetables. It is converted to vitamin A in the body as needed. It is completely non-toxic.

When is Vitamin A contraindicated?

There are no contraindications when taking required amounts of vitamin A. Those suffering from liver disease should not take Vitamin A from fish liver oils. Some persons who have compromised liver function because of drugs, hepatitis, or alcohol abuse may have lower tolerance for Vitamin A.

Pregnant women should not take more than 25,000 I.U. of Vitamin A per day. Avoid Vitamin A supplements while taking Accutane.

What Factors Affect Absorption?