♥ Vitamin A actually refers to a family of similarly shaped molecules: the retinoids. Retinol is the form of Vitamin A absorbed when eating animal food sources. It is a yellow, fat-soluble vitamin. Other retinoids are a class of chemical compounds that are related chemically to Vitamin A. These are used in medicine.

♥ Vitamin A is needed for: Vision, Gene Transcription, Immune Function, Embryonic Development and Reproduction, Bone Metabolism, Hematopoiesis, Skin Health, Reducing Risk of Heart Disease and Cancer and Antioxidant Activity.

♥ Vitamin A can be found in: Liver (beef, pork, chicken, turkey and fish), Carrots, Broccoli Leaves, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Butter, Spinach, Leafy Vegetables, Pumpkin, Collard Greens, Cantaloupe Melon, Eggs, Apricots, Papaya, Mango, Peas and Winter Squash.

Vitamin A overdose?

♥ You can actually overdose on Vitamin A and it can be fatal! It is possible to overdose just by eating too much of the wrong thing or taking too many supplements. Eating a lot of liver can create a vitamin A overdose. Symptoms include: nausea, loss of appetite, headache, peeling skin, hair loss, tiredness, menstrual irregularity, enlarged liver and an enlarged spleen.
♥ Hypervitaminosis A refers to high storage levels of vitamin A in the body. There are three major adverse effects of Hypervitaminosis A and they are not good: birth defects, liver abnormalities and a reduced bone mineral density that could result in osteoporosis.

Recommended Daily Intake

♥ Infants ♥
♥ 0-6 Months # 400ug
♥ 7-12 Months # 500ug
♥ Children ♥
♥ 1-3 Years # 300ug
♥ 4-8 Years # 400ug
♥ Males ♥
♥ 9-13 Years # 600ug
♥ 14-18 Years # 900ug
♥ 19-70 Years # 900ug
♥ Females ♥
♥ 9-13 Years # 600ug
♥ 14-18 Years # 700ug
♥ 19-70 Years # 700ug
♥ Pregnancy ♥
♥ <19 Years # 750ug
♥ 19-50 Years # 770ug
♥ Lactation ♥
♥ <19 Years # 1200ug
♥ 19-50 Years # 1300ug