Vitamin A vs Betocarotene

tinker123

I don't eat any vitamin A sources in my diet, just betocarotene. Yet it seems the betocarotene I eat is just counted as vitamin A.

Two different things.

I read nearly 1/4 of the population has a genetic mutation such that they don't convert betocarotene to vitamin A very well.

I realize you limited by the databases you have, but if possible it could be helpful to find a way to distinguish between the two.

Karen_Cronometer

Hi tinker123,

You are right, we include pre-vitamin A carotenoids, like beta-carotene, in the total vitamin A reported for a food.

But you can also track beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin in Cronometer. To track these in your diary, head on over to the Settings tab. Under Targets, select the Vitamins tab under Nutrient Targets. Choose which nutrients you would like to be shown in your nutrient targets.

Best,

Susan_RD_101

@tinker123

If you notice changes to your vision or the health of your eyes, I would recommend booking an appointment with your doctor to have your levels of vitamin A screened. If you are not noticing any symptoms, you are very likely getting enough beta-carotene to make the active form of vitamin A.

Kind regards,

runavega

Beta-carotene is just fine as a source of vitamin A. Even at the lowest genetic conversions, a single sweet potato or a large carrot or two will give you all the beta-carotene you need to convert to retinol. Pre-formed retinol from animal products is associated with lower bone mineral density and slowly harms the liver over time since we can't get rid of the excess quickly enough. With beta-carotene, your body will only convert as much as is needed and the rest is stored under your skin and in your tissues which provides antioxidant support and gives you a nice "glow."

FarNorthWind

The 5 genetic SNP's for BC01 which converts beta-carotene can result in significant lowering of the enzyme that converts beta-carotene to vitamin a. Having only 2 of the 5 lowers the enzyme by 69%. I've got 4 o the 5 and have not seen studies on any group having that many.

Even with just having two snps circulating beta-carotenes are significantly raised as they aren't cleaved to retinol on absorption by the intestines. High levels of beta-carotene can be harmful.

It would be far better if beta carotene and vitamin a were considered to be different substances, which they are, and to be tracked separately.

Karen_Cronometer

That's a great idea FarNorthWind,

If you are mainly using foods from NCCDB, USDA that have more complete nutrition information, you can track the types of vitamin A individually.

You can also customize your targets. Use the Settings tab > Targets > Nutrient Targets > Vitamins.
You can hide beta-carotene and vitamin A (total vitamin A) and instead show retinol - this is the pre-formed vitamin A in the diet, usually from animal source. You can also customize the minimum and maximum targets to track your intake through the target bars in your diary page.

Best,

tinker123

runavega wrote:

Even at the lowest genetic conversions, a single sweet potato or a large carrot or two will give you all the beta-carotene you need to convert to retinol.

This likely isn't true.

I have not had the test for the genetically based low betacarotene conversion.

However, under the guidance of my RD I have been getting blood tests every 3 months. I posted because my tests were coming back low on vitamin A.

I recently had another test, after 3 months of eating a sweet potato every day.

My vitamin A levels only went up by a decimal point.

buildup

Is there any way to include a custom conversion rate (eg for beta carotene to vitamin A) ?

Karen_Cronometer

Hi @buildup - Cronometer doesn't have a way to use a custom conversion rate for beta-carotene. What a fascinating idea! Did you get a genetic test, or would you infer it from blood work?

buildup

I am waiting for my DNA results but a close relative has had their very low conversion rate confirmed already (the rate can be very low indeed so this is an important feature). I tried to manage with diet, a new condition (which was probably diagnosed due to a misleading test result) alongside a long-standing one and ended up in hospital. One of a number of issues was we think vitamin A, as a vegan the beta carotene conversion rate is obviously key.

Karen_Cronometer

For now, I would recommend viewing all the types of vitamin A in your nutrient targets. For example, you can mark retinol as visible in your nutrient targets to see a baseline of preformed vitamin A you are getting in your diet from foods and supplements.

buildup

Thanks but as you would expect the retinol result is almost zero as I am vegan

Karen_Cronometer

Oh yep, that makes sense. Sorry that approach won't work for you.