Is Vitamin A hard to absorb?

by Joan Brown
(Lakewood, Ohio, USA)

Question:

I know which foods are high in Vitamin A but how much of those foods do I need to eat to make sure I am absorbing the proper amount for a 76-year old woman. I just noticed on my hearts of romaine package that a serving has 100% of Vitamin A. But will I absorb that amount? Vitamin A seems to me to be a little tricky. How do I know how much foods containing Vitamin A I can eat in one day?

Any answers will be appreciated.

Thank you.

Answers:

Thanks for your question, Joan. I've not heard of any problems absorbing vitamin A. You are right that it's really easy to get it from vegan sources because it is so abundant in vegetables, especially those that are yellow and orange colored. It's amazing for helping with our vision and for helping the skin and body tissues to heal, and for nice, strong teeth. It's also a really powerful antioxidant.

There are animal sources that provide vitamin A in the form of retinol. Maybe you are thinking of retinol when you're talking about absorption problems, but I'm not aware of trouble with it either. The plant sources of vitamin A is beta-carotene and it converts in the intestines. It is then stored in the liver, kidneys, and fat for months, so it's hard to become deficient in it.

So, no worries about vitamin A being hard to absorb. I hope that helps.