Carrots and Vitamin A, missing comma?

Xo1o

It seems there is a missing comma when displaying Vitamin A content in carrots. According to the database I will have almost 600% of minimum recommended intake of Vitamin A by eating just 110g of carrots.

Karen_Cronometer

Hi Xo1o,

Carrots are a great source of vitamin A from beta-carotene! Vitamin A from plant sources comes in forms that we have to first convert to active vitamin (such as beta-carotene, alpha-carotene), so the tolerable upper limit is for preformed vitamin A only.

Best,

Xo1o

That's interesting. Does that mean that if the bar shows say exactly 100% it doesn't guarantee my body will produce enough "real" vitamin A?

Karen_Cronometer

Xo1o,

If your body needs more vitamin A, it can release what you have made previously from stores or start making more from the vitamin A precursors that you have eaten that day, such as beta carotene.

Best,

blsulevia

Interesting, but like Xo1o, I was wondering whether the 600% (or thereabout) of vitamin A I seem to be ingesting daily - I try to have a plant based diet, although can't call myself a vegetarian - through carrots or sweet potatoes etc could be dangerous... I seem to recall stories of the 'dangers of too much Vitamin A'...

Would someone be able to enlighten me or direct me to stuff I could read

thanks

Susan_RD_101

@blsulevia

The Institute of Medicine has not set an upper limit for carotenoids as there is no known risk of high intake. The exception to this would be for smokers, as beta carotene may increase risk of lung cancer in this population. The only other negative side effect I have seen in research is the skin taking on an orangy glow from an individual who over-consumed carrots. Even in this situation, the individual's health wasn't compromised (although I don't recommend you eat carrots to this level!).

Kind regards,

blsulevia

Ah, ok, thank you for the info :-) I am reassured

TheRegents

@Susan_RD_101 Why is that a negative? I think that I'd look quite stunning with an orange glow