Vitamin A is a vital nutrient to your body for helping to create a stronger immune system for fighting disease, as well as helping to improve your vision and keeping skin healthy. Also known as retinol, it serves the body in a variety of functions in order to keep it healthy. Men should get a dose of 0.7mg of this nutrient, whilst women should consume 0.6mg – you can get this from your diet. The body stores anything that you don’t use, so it isn’t vital that you get this every day.
Your diet should contain foods such as cheese, eggs, yoghurt, milk and oily fish, as these are all great sources of vitamin A. Likewise, liver is also a very rich source but be careful not to get too much vitamin A – combat this risk by not consuming liver more than once a week, at most. If you consume too much over a long period of time, it can damage your bones which will leave you susceptible to fractures in the future. Osteoporosis is a higher risk in older people anyway, so be careful not to exacerbate this through your vitamin A intake.
This is something to consider if you take a multivitamin, as many of them contain vitamin A. Your diet intake of this nutrient shouldn’t exceed 1.5mg if you’re taking supplements as well, as this will lead to you getting too much. Additionally, you shouldn’t take supplements containing vitamin A if you’re pregnant without being advised by your GP. In the right doses, vitamin A can be hugely beneficial to your diet – in fact, it is crucial as part of a healthy and balanced body. But be careful that you’re not consuming too much, as this can lead to more problems than it solves. If you’re unsure how much you’re getting, speak to your GP who will advise you.
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