What is the recommended dosage of Vitamin A? How much is too much? What are the toxicity levels? Also, explore vitamin A overdose symptoms and treatment, and safety during pregnancy. This post will therefore outline retinol supplementation guideline.
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Vitamin A Doses for Acne and Pimples
Healthline recommends anybody taking vitamin supplements, just like any other topical medication, it can help in the treatment of acne and pimples. However, it is only safe if consumed in a dose not exceeding 10,000 international units (IU) since a dose beyond this measure may be toxic.
A clinician study by at the University of Michigan identifies Vitamin A as your oral supplement remedy for skin disorders like pimples and acne.
The findings, also, caution users of this product to use the right dose because failure to adhere to it may lead to more harm to their body than good.
The fact that this food supplement is a soluble fat, it tends to accumulate in your body if excessively taken, particularly for women who are expectant.
The Mayo Clinic recommends it for adults weighing between 8-11 milligrams (mg) to take a safe dose of 30 mg for their treatment of pimples and acne skin condition.
Recommended Vitamin A Doses for Children
The recommended doses of Vitamin A for children are aged between 6 and 59 months is between 100 000 IU (30 mg RE) and 200 000 IU (60 mg RE) for the ages of 6–11 months and 12–59 months respectively including those who are HIV+.
An oil-based solution of vitamin A is good for children and can be delivered as a graduated spoon or a single-dose dispenser in the form of soft gelatin capsules.
Manufacturers of these capsules consistently use different color coding the doses. They use a blue color coding for the 100 000 IU capsules and a red one for the 200 000 IU capsules.
Vitamin A Safety in Pregnancy
According to the Mayo Clinic, Vitamin A is safe women with a pregnancy if a dose of 100 000 IU (30 mg RE) is taken once monthly and 200 000 IU (60 mg RE) for every 4 to 6 months.
Despite the fact that some researchers claim that excess intake of Vitamin A in pregnancy is likely to lead to congenital disabilities such as heart, lungs, skull, and eye among others, the findings are not empirically proven. It’s because the study used very high amounts of some forms of water-soluble Vitamin A called synthetic from non-food sources.
In 2000, research findings were documented in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition claims that some years back, as early as in the 1970s, there were as few as 20 reports had been published suggesting that consumption of high amounts of Vitamin A by humans may cause birth defects in fetuses.
But, results from the Linus Pauling Institute suggest otherwise. According to their study, no relationship is confirmed showing an increase in the risk in birth defects with taking more Vitamin A at doses of preformed food supplement from daily quantities not exceeding 10,000 IU or 3,000 mcg.
Given that most foods in the developed and developing world including in the United States of America (USA) are refreshed with preformed vitamin A, nutritional professional recommend for expectant women to shun from consuming prenatal supplements or a multivitamin with Vitamin A doses exceeding 5,000 IU 1 or 500 mcg.
Overall, Most people are aware that vitamin A is one of the food supplements with essential pregnancy nutrient nutritious to both the child and the mother. However, the emphasis should be ingesting a Vitamin A food sources.
Vitamin A Toxicity Level
The acute level of Vitamin A toxicity is 25,000 IU/kg. A dose of 4000 IU/kg taken daily for 6-15 months is toxic. According to the USA poison control centers, there are about 60,000 reported cases of Vitamin A today.
In 2003 to 2006, some data was gathered by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showing that every month, a multivitamin supplement is consumed by about 33% of Americans aged between 1 year and more.
The organization carried out another survey in 2009 in the USA and the findings indicated that there was about 56% of users of supplements or vitamins while about 44% of the respondents acknowledged taking the product each day.
Given that the fat-soluble vitamins have the ability to build up in your body, the chances are high that they can likely cause toxicity compared to the water-soluble vitamins. The most toxic vitamins are those containing Iron, particularly in pediatric acute ingestions.
Retinol Overdose – Symptoms & Treatment
The symptoms and treatment of Retinol overdose are rarely experienced if you consume it in the prescribed amounts. However, it mostly occurs to people with cholesterol because they are the major consumers of the supplement.
Although the possibility of one having an overdose by just consuming many foods rich in retinol is high, it is most dangerous if you eat too much of prescription or over-the-counter retinoids.
So, if you are one of those using retinoids, you should be concerned and keen on the following symptoms and remedy:
Symptoms of Retinol overdose:
- Itching
- Dizziness combined with severe skin flushing
- Diarrhea
- Rapid heartbeat
- Gout
- Abdominal pain
- Vomiting and nausea
Retinol Overdose Treatment
If you notice any of the signs and symptoms of retinol overdose mentioned above, you should first immediately consult nutrition professional.
And since retinol overdose is mostly associated with strokes and liver damage, medical experts today advice those who can’t consume statins to address the issue of high levels of triglyceride.
Vitamin A Deficiency – Symptoms & Treatment
No symptoms and treatment are observed in mild forms of Vitamin A deficiency although a few people report feeling fatigued. However, here are some of the known symptoms and treatments for both severe and mild forms of Vitamin A deficiency:
Symptoms of vitamin A deficiency
- Infertility
- Chest and throat infections and also gastroenteritis
- Miscarriage
- Delayed bone development and general growth in teenager and children
Vitamin A deficiency in its most severe forms may as well lead to:
- Hair and skin problem such as dry hair, dry skin, and pruritus (itching).
- Vision and Eye Problems like:
- night blindness
- Cornea perforation
- Cornea and conjunctiva dryness on the eye surface
- Cornea ulceration and thinning on the eyes’ surface
- Severe sight impairment
Vitamin A Deficiency Treatment
In the case of mild forms of Vitamin A deficiency, the treatment comprises of:
- Ingesting foods rich in Vitamin A including leafy green vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes, fortified milk, liver, eggs, chicken, and beef among others.
In the event of experiencing vitamin A deficiency condition that is in severe form, consider the following remedy:
- Eating food supplements rich in Vitamin A each day.
References on Recommended Vitamin A Dosage
- https://www.healthline.com/health/minerals-vitamins-for-acne
- http://www.who.int/elena/titles/guidance_summaries/vitamina_children/en/
- http://natural-fertility-info.com/vitamin-a.html
- https://patient.info/health/vitamin-a-deficiency-leaflet