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Hi All,
Just need some information on Mulitvitamins. Im currently taking Centrium and the back is a caution: Viatamin A RDI is 2500 IU (international units) the actual supplemnet in the tablet is 2000 IU so can you overdoes on the other 500 IU, its apparently very toxic if you do and can cause birth defects to babies. So any info is much apppriciated.
PS I know carotts contain a lot of Vit A also liver
Collee G :-k
Hi,
Vitamin A is fat soluble and the adult daily rec. is 750mcg, and certainly you shouldn't exceed 1500mcg daily. Because it is fat rather than water soluable, the body can't excrete is through urine and sweat etc.
I can't remember why or how high levels of vit A can cause birth defects, but I know that vit supplements and broad spectrum antibiotics have too much vit a in them and so should be avoided by TTC & pregnant women.
It is generally recommended that you are best off getting most of your nutrients from normal food......for example, although in this case, TTC and pregnant women are always advised to avoid liver of any desctiption (including prepared liver such as pate) because 100g of liver contains around 30,000mcg of vit A....around 40 times too much vit A!
To get "the right amount" of vit A from food is pretty easy.....red & yellow & orange fruits and veggies all contain appropriate levels of Provitamin A (beta-carotene and other cartenoids) which is the good stuff that you need for vision and growth and repair of the bodies tissues, and helps maintain hair and skin.
An ideal amount of food to get the right amount of vit A would be a serve (say a cup?) of rockmelon with brekky, and some peaches and apricots (dried or fresh) as a snack, and a serve of sweet potato or pumpkin with a meal, or perhaps some carrots.
As always, if in doubt check with your GP!
Hey Collee G,
Apparently beta-carotene (the vitamin A derived from plants/vegies) does not cause toxicity. It is the retinol form that you have to avoid during pg. I found this on the net and it seems to be a wide spread opinion so it should be reliable, but as Lucy said, check with your GP if in doubt.
:
Pregnant women especially should avoid taking retinol supplements. High doses during pregnancy can cause birth defects. Look for beta-carotene as the vitamin A source in prenatal supplements.
Thanks Lucy and Angel, O:)
I did call the doctor and he said not to take 'centrum', most pregnancy vitamins dont contain Vitamin A so that might be a good indication not to take too much of Vit A.
Thanks guys for your knowledge of all this stuff- im very impressed that you know all this , I should polish up on my vitamins ect.
luv Colleeg
Hi Colleeg
I did nutrition at uni, hence my swottiness of all things dietry! However, if you do want to get some extra knowledge, there is a really handy little book which I got my Mum recently (she is watching her diet as she is feeling old, bless her!) which is bought out by Family Circle: like one of their little recipe books, called "The Vitamin and Mineral Counter" (about $5) which lists all the vitamins and minerals and what foods provide what & why your body needs which vitamins etc.....ideal if you want to intake all the vitamins and minerals from food rather than from a supplement.
Supplements are good ie Folate when you are TTC, or iron if you have been diagnosed as anaemic, and Elevit (pregnancy supplement) seems to be what all GP's recomend to pregnant women........
Moving this thread to the health section guys.