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Vitamin A Supplements Review, Including Beta-Carotene and Cod Liver Oil

Find the Best Vitamin A Supplement. Best Quality Vitamin A Supplements Identified, Including Cod Liver Oil.

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Medically reviewed and edited by Tod Cooperman, M.D.

Last Updated: 09/19/2022 Initially Posted: 10/20/2018

Vitamin A Supplements (Including Cod Liver Oil) Reviewed by ConsumerLab.com

Summary

How much vitamin A should I take? Unless you're deficient in vitamin A or have a condition that can cause deficiency, you probably don't need to take a vitamin A supplement. Americans are more likely to get too much vitamin A from their diets than too little. The daily requirement for vitamin A is 900 mcg (or 3,000 IU in the retinol form) for men, 700 mcg (2,333 IU) for women, and is lower for children.
Changing vitamin A labels: Be aware that supplement labels are in the process of being updated to show vitamin A in "mcg" (micrograms) of retinol activity equivalents - RAE. This is more scientifically correct than the older "IU" format. For reference, 900 mcg = 3,000 IU of vitamin A as retinol or 6,000 IU of beta-carotene, since retinol (and related retinyl forms) have greater biological activity than beta-carotene.
How much vitamin A is too much? Too much vitamin A (for adults, over 3,000 mcg RAE daily -- or 10,000 IU in the retinol form) can cause problems, and is of particular concern for women who are pregnant. Although safe when consumed from fruits and vegetables, there are some concerns with taking beta-carotene, which is converted, as needed, to vitamin A in the body.
Is cod liver oil better than synthetic vitamin A? The vitamin A in fish oil is the same as the synthetic vitamin A in most supplements -- retinyl palmitate, so it doesn't matter which you use. Cod liver oil tends to cost more but can provide significant amounts of vitamins D and E as well as omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA).
Best choice for vitamin A supplements? Among the supplements that passed testing, we selected those that provide the best quality and value as our Top Picks, including selections for an overall vitamin A supplement (including optional selections for very high dose vitamin A and fish-free vitamin A), as well as for vitamin A from beta-carotene and from cod liver oil.

+— 24 sources

In addition the results of its expert testing, ConsumerLab uses only high-quality, evidence based, information sources. These sources include peer-reviewed studies and information from agencies such as the FDA and USDA, and the National Academy of Medicine. On evolving topics, studies from pre-print journals may be sourced. All of our content is reviewed by medical doctors and doctoral-level experts in pharmacology, toxicology, and chemistry. We continually update and medically review our information to keep our content trustworthy, accurate, and reliable. The following sources are referenced in this article:

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Vitamin A supplements with beta-carotene / retinol, including cod liver oil, compared in this review

Bluebonnet Vitamin A

Bronson Vitamin A

Carlson Kid's Norwegian Cod Liver Oil

GNC Beta-Carotene

NOW Vitamin A

Nutrilite Multi Carotene

Pure Encapsulations Vitamin A

Puritan's Pride Beta-Carotene

Solaray Vitamin Dry A

Spring Valley (Walmart) Vitamin A

The Vitamin Shoppe Cod Liver Oil

Vitacost Cold Water Arctic Cod Liver Oil

You must be a member to get the full test results and quality ratings for 12 vitamin A supplements (two of which failed to contain all the vitamin A they claimed), including products tested through CL's voluntary Quality Certification Program. You'll learn:

Which vitamin A supplements passed or failed ConsumerLab.com's testing and review and which were selected as CL's Top Picks
Which vitamin A supplements and which products exceed tolerable intake limits and, therefore, pose a greater risk of causing adverse effects
Who should take a vitamin A supplement, and what it can and cannot do for your health
Which cod liver oils passed our tests for freshness and purity
Direct comparisons and quality ratings of vitamin A supplements, including cost comparisons

How vitamin A supplement labels are changing from IUs to micrograms RAE (retinol activity equivalents) and what you need to know when reading them
Recommended daily intake and dosages of vitamin A
Which foods are rich in vitamin A or beta-carotene
Cautions when using vitamin A, including potential drug interactions, interactions with other supplements, potential side-effects of vitamin A from retinol forms (such as retinyl palmitate) and beta-carotene