Vitamin A: Safe at Intake of 10,000 IU

WASHINGTON, DC, January 12, 2001— The newly set UL (Tolerable Upper Intake Level) for vitamin A is 3,000 micrograms (equivalent to 10,000 IU), an intake level that is safe. The safety of 3,000 micrograms of vitamin A is confirmed by Dr. Robert Russell of Tufts University, chairman of the panel of scientists that evaluated vitamin A for the Food and Nutrition Board. Dr. Russell also stated that vitamin A activity from beta-carotene and other plant sources does not contribute to vitamin A overdose because the human body limits the conversion of carotenes to vitamin A.

Most multivitamins contain 5,000 IU of vitamin A activity, only one-half of the UL, and in many products a large portion of that is provided by beta-carotene. Carotenes occur in fruits and vegetables, but animal products contain preformed vitamin A, with large amounts found in liver. Dietary supplements containing 10,000 IU (3,000 micrograms) of vitamin A would be a safety concern only for persons who regularly consume large amounts of liver, and those persons should be aware of the potential for vitamin A overdose whether or not they take dietary supplements.

The vitamin A UL was set by Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine in Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for a group of vitamins and minerals released on January 9. These DRI values included several ULs that are strongly consistent with the safety evaluations by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). CRN has had dietary supplement guidelines for many years, including a limit of 10,000 IU for vitamin A since 1987.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) was founded in 1973 and represents approximately 100 companies in the dietary supplement industry, including bulk ingredient suppliers as well as finished product manufacturers. Members include manufacturers of national brands of dietary supplements as well as several large manufacturers of the store brands available in most supermarkets, drug stores, health food stores, and super stores. CRN members adhere to a strong code of ethics, comply with dosage limits and manufacture dietary supplements to high quality standards under good manufacturing practices.