Vitamin A is an essential nutrient that helps maintain healthy mucous membranes, supports the immune system, and stimulates the growth of epithelial cells. Vitamin A is also important for good vision, skin health, and bone growth.
In addition to this, Vitamin A is found in many foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meats. The recommended daily intake of vitamin A for adults is 900 micrograms (mcg).
However, if your diet does not provide enough vitamin A or you have trouble absorbing fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin D and vitamin K, you may need to take a supplement to meet this requirement. This can be done by using a multivitamin that contains preformed vitamin A or by taking retinol supplements specifically formulated for this purpose.
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Vitamin A Ug To Iu Calculator
This vitamin A calculator converts different forms of vitamin A to Retinol Activity Equivalents expressed in the mass unit micrograms, which are used in Dietary Reference Intakes for vitamin A. This is also a new requirement for nutrition labels of supplements, where vitamin A was listed in international units (IUs) before.
Read the article below to find out more about vitamin A function, its sources, the consequences of vitamin A deficiency, and vitamin A toxicity. We will also answer the question of how much vitamin A per day you should eat and explain how beta carotene to vitamin A conversion works.
Disclaimer: We try our best to make our Omni Calculators as precise and reliable as possible. However, this tool can never replace the professional advice of a healthcare provider.
What is vitamin A?
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for humans. Just like other vitamins, it needs to be provided with food (or supplements when required) in recommended amounts, as its deficiency is associated with serious health problems.
There are two forms of vitamin A available in food:
- Preformed vitamin A (retinol and its esterified form, retinyl ester); and
- Provitamin A carotenoids (β-carotene, α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin).
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What does vitamin A do? Vitamin A function
Have you ever wondered what vitamin A does? Well, it turns out that this vitamin has multiple functions in the human body:
- It is necessary for normal human growth and development;
- It supports the functioning of our immune system;
- It is required for good vision – both low light and color;
- It plays an important role in gene transcription; and
- It helps maintain healthy skin.
Vitamin A deficiency symptoms
As vitamin A has many functions in the human body, its deficiency is associated with serious health problems. One of the earliest and the most specific manifestations of vitamin A deficiency is impaired vision, particularly in dim light, also known as night blindness. If the deficiency persists, further eye damage may occur, which can eventually result in total blindness. Other consequences of vitamin A deficiency include impaired immunity and various skin problems. Moreover, the right amounts of vitamin A are extremely important for pregnant and breastfeeding women to support normal child development.
Vitamin A deficiency is rather rare in developed countries, however, it is common in many developing countries. Some supplementation strategies have been introduced there, including the Micronutrient Initiative. The World Health Organization estimated that vitamin A supplementation has saved 1.25 million lives in 40 countries since 1998.
What should I eat? – vitamin A foods
Different forms of vitamin A can be found in many foods:
- Preformed vitamin A: liver, fish oils, milk, eggs, butter, cheese; and
- Provitamin A: leafy green vegetables, orange and yellow vegetables (e.g. pumpkin, squash, carrots), tomatoes and their products, various fruits (e.g. mango, cantaloupe, dried apricots), some vegetable oils.
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How much vitamin A per day?
The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for vitamin A developed by the Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies are expressed as Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). It means that this amount is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97% – 98%) healthy individuals. The recommendations depend on age and sex, and you can see them below:
- Infants 0-6 months: 400 μg/day (adequate intake, not RDA);
- Infants 6-12 months: 500 μg/day (adequate intake, not RDA);
- Children 1-3 years: 300 μg/day;
- Children 4-8 years: 400 μg/day;
- Children 9-13 years: 600 μg/day;
- Males > 14 years: 900 μg/day;
- Females > 14 years: 700 μg/day;
- Pregnancy: 770 μg/day (750μg/day for women 14-18 years old); and
- Breastfeeding: 1300 μg/day (1200 μg/day for women 14-18 years old).
Recommended Daily Allowance
Sex
Female
Age
yrs
Retinol (animal source) 🧈
International Units
IU
Retinol Activity Equivalents
μg
Dietary beta-carotene from food (plant source) 🥕
International Units
IU
Retinol Activity Equivalents
μg
Supplemental beta-carotene 💊
International Units
IU
Retinol Activity Equivalents
μg
Dietary alpha-carotene and/or beta-cryptoxanthin (plant source) 🍊
International Units
IU
Retinol Activity Equivalents
μg
Total Retinol Activity Equivalents (RAEs)
μg
vitamin converter
Vitamin Converter
Use our vitamin converter below for approximate conversion rates of vitamins.
| Vitamin A | ||
| retinol (all-(E)-retinol) mg | IU | |
| mg | mg RE | |
| IU | mcg | |
| mcg RE | mcg | |
| retinyl acetate (all-(E)-retinol acetate) mg | IU | |
| mg | mcg RE | |
| IU | mcg | |
| mcg RE | mcg | |
| retinyl palmitate (all-(E)-retinol palmitate) mg | IU | |
| mg | mcg RE | |
| IU | mcg | |
| mcg RE | mcg | |
| betacarotene mcg | mcg RE | |
| mcg RE | mcg | |
| Vitamin B | ||
| thiamine hydrochloride mg | mg thiamine (vit B1) | |
| (USA/FDA conversion): thiamine hydrochloride mg | mg thiamine (vit B1) | |
| thiamine nitrate mg | mg thiamine (vit B1) | |
| riboflavine sodium phosphate mg | mg riboflavine (vit B2) | |
| Calcium pantothenate mg | mg pantothenic acid (vit B5) | |
| mg Calcium | ||
| dexpanthenol mg | mg pantothenic acid (vit B5) | |
| pyridoxal 5-phosphate mg | mg pyridoxine (vit B6) | |
| pyridoxine hydrochloride mg | mg pyridoxine (vit B6) | |
| Vitamin C | ||
| ascorbyl palmitate mg | mg ascorbic acid (vit C) | |
| calcium ascorbate(dihydrate) mg | mg ascorbic acid (vit C) | |
| mg calcium | ||
| sodium ascorbate mg | mg ascorbic acid (vit C) | |
| mg sodium | ||
| Vitamin D | ||
| cholecalciferol mcg | IU vit D3 | |
| IU | mcg | |
| ergocalciferol mcg | IU vit D2 | |
| IU | mcg | |
| Vitamin E | ||
| d-alpha-Tocopherol mg | IU | |
| IU | mcg | |
| dl-alpha-Tocopherol mg | IU | |
| IU | mcg | |
| d-alpha-Tocopheryl acetate mg | IU | |
| IU | mcg | |
| dl-alpha-Tocopheryl acetate mg | IU | |
| d-alpha-Tocopheryl acid succinate mg | IU | |
| IU | mcg | |
| dl-alpha-Tocopheryl acid succinate mg | IU | |
| IU | mg |
IU: International Units; RE: Retinol Equivalents; mg: milligrams; mcg: micrograms
Disclaimer: Whilst Robert Forbes & Associates has made every effort to be accurate, errors may appear and are inadvertent.