To much Vitamin A?

[startootsie]

Hi all,

I don't know if this is the right place to put this (hope so). I had a question, can you overdose on vitamin A in a food form? I've heard of people drinking to much carrot juice and they turned, well orange. Well anyway I was taking way more Spirulina then you are supposed to, also taking Blue Green Algea in capsules, and eating a lot of veggies with vitamin A in them, and my hands and feet turned kind of orange/yellow, I started getting headaches (which I never do) and my hair started falling out, and those are the things that I read would happen if you overdose on vitamin A, but I am getting it in foods. Is it still possible? Because the hair issue I don't really know the cause because I had to low bodyfat and started eating more raw so I'm kind of confused...

If anyone has anything to share please do!

Christianna

[Spectatrix]

Oh yes, you most definitely can overdose on vitamin A from food. You can theoretically OD (based on RDA recommended limits) with a mere 4 oz. of carrots.

[*SunChild*]

THANKYOU THANKYOU!!!

I was wondering all this time why my hands are yellow!!! I have asked so many people and they look at me like I'm an alien.
Oh and a lot of hair seems to be coming out in my brush. I'm glad i'm now aware of what it *could* be...

Off to research.

[startootsie]

So do you have to fast to get it out, or stop eating a lot of food with it, drink a bunch of water?

I stoped eating the Spirulina and carrots and Blue Green Algea for now, but how long does it take to get out of your system?

[Spectatrix]

The only thing you can really do is stop ingesting so much vitamin A and let your body use it up. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin which means your body can't get rid of in urine like it would with the water soluble vitamins (e.g. vitamin C). How long it'll take depends on how much you've overdosed on it and how much vitamin A you continue to consume while you're trying to get your body back to normal.

[startootsie]

Thank you so much! I needed some answers.

There is not much vitamin A in light colored fruits and veggies right?

Sorry for all the questions!

[Spectatrix]

There is not much vitamin A in light colored fruits and veggies right?
I don't think so, but you can always check a site like this one to look up nutritional information: http://freshcutproduce.com/nutrifax/
http://www.fitday.com/ is a good site if you want to track your daily intake of nutrients.

[startootsie]

Thank you so much!

[dreamrawalwz]

I KNOW I OD on vitamin A, but I have absolutely no symptoms. I'm just craving those food items more (i have an absorbtion problem, so maybe that has something to do with it?)

[gatorgrrl]

hmmm....I hope that doesn't start to happen to me. My average intake is 7000. The RDA is 800 and I consume % RDA of 875% aprox. I am trying to eat alot of greens and stuff to keep my folate up because I am trying to get pregnant (maybe already am, will know in a few days, I hope, I hope).

[startootsie]

Weird, now that I think about it it too have been craving vitamin A food. If that is what you mean. I was going crazy for a while trying to figure out what was going on. I hope it comes out of my system soon (all I can do is trust).

[luvnraw]

You can also go here http://www.nutritiondata.com/nutrient-search.html and type in veggies or fruits that are highest in vit A to avoid or look for lowest in vit A to fill up on :p

[rawpriestess]

I hope you are able to release this quickly.

[startootsie]

Thank you so much for all your help! Everybody on this forum is so helpful!

[RawNut]

Hello,

I didn't think it was possible to overdose on beta carotene, the precursor to vitamin A. Excess beta carotene is stored in the skin and actually helps protect against ultra violet radiation. I've read posts where many raw foodists report that they do not get sunburned like they use to before raw. Most of the vitamin A we get from raw food is actually in the form of carotinoids. I don't think it's anything to worry about unless it's straight vitamin A that you're od-ing on, which CAN be harmful.

The following is from: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/myth.htm

Myth: An abundance of "Orange" foods is dangerous and will cause Vitamin A overdose.

Truth: Parents who feed their infants a lot of orange fruits and vegetables may one day notice that their infant's palms, soles of the feet and even face have taken on an orange hue. Don't be too alarmed and don't worry that your baby may at risk of Vitamin A overdose. Unless your baby is sickly, a more yellow than orange colour and the whites of baby's eyes are also yellow tinged, your baby probably has carotenemia and not jaundice.

Vitamin A may be dangerous and even lethal when too much of it is taken in the form of a vitamin supplement. Natural Vitamin A, such as that which beta-carotene converts to, is harmless and is indeed very beneficial for promoting good vision and eye development as well as helping sustain healthy growth and development.

Here is another: http://vitanetonline.com/description/15554/vitamins/Beta-Carotene-10-000-IU/

[RawNut]

Oh yes, you most definitely can overdose on vitamin A from food. You can theoretically OD (based on RDA recommended limits) with a mere 4 oz. of carrots.

That's the problem with lists like that. They count beta carotene as vitamin A but your body will only convert as much beta carotene into as much vitamin A as it needs. You can overdose on vitamin A by eating too much liver or vitamin A supplements because it is actual vitamin A and not beta carotene. Your body then has no choice in how much it's getting.

[kyrie]

Hi,

I'll keep this short, yes you can overdose by just eating too much of Foods High in beta-carotene or Vit A.IF you already have the symptoms, go see your doctor.The members of this forum,are as a rule not medical professionals, so asking their opinion on a medical problem that you are already experiencing might be comforting,but back it up with a trip to the doc.

On the other hand it is your health, and you can make your own decisions.

Carla.

[RawNut]

Hi,

I'll keep this short, yes you can overdose by just eating too much of Foods High in beta-carotene or Vit A.IF you already have the symptoms, go see your doctor.The members of this forum,are as a rule not medical professionals, so asking their opinion on a medical problem that you are already experiencing might be comforting,but back it up with a trip to the doc.

On the other hand it is your health, and you can make your own decisions.

Carla.

Hi Carla,

I do agree, with the symptoms that she has, that she should see a health care professional. It could be something serious. Do you have any sources that say it is possible to OD on beta carotene? Every thing I've found or ever learned about it says that you cannot OD on beta carotene only vitamin A itself. I'm not saying you're wrong. I'd just like to know where you learned this.

Thanks in advance,

RawNut

Edited to add: I did find this: http://www.foodanddiet.com/NewFiles/beta-carotene.html But it lists the symptoms of vitamin A overdose. Perhaps the author was confused? Everything else out there says that carotenoids, including the forms that can be converted to vitamin A, are non-toxic.

[Spectatrix]

Hrm, RawNut, it looks like you're right... you can't OD on beta carotene itself. However, it looks like the body's conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A slows as vitamin A levels in the body rise, but doesn't necessarily stop. If startootsie was consuming very high levels of beta carotene, then it's still possible that she was slowly OD'ing on vitamin A. I think cutting back on her beta carotene intake is still advisable, to see if her symptoms are alleviated.

I also agree with Kyrie, though... you should probably go see a doctor to find out more.

[startootsie]

Thank you for all your information and opinions! I did read that you couldn't overdose on vitamin A in a food source, but I do have the symptoms that they said would happen if you did oerdose, head aches, turning yellow/orange, and hair falling out. I was taking a lot, in many foods and in spirulina. I was taking way more spirulina then the label suggests. Fo a while now I stoped eating almost any food that has vitamin A just to see if it did anything, and slowly the yellow/orange color is fading and my hair is slowly not falling out as much anymore I think. So I think for now I am going to try to clear some of it out and see if that helps more, cause it seems like it's working.

Thank you again!

[RawNut]

Hrm, RawNut, it looks like you're right... you can't OD on beta carotene itself. However, it looks like the body's conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A slows as vitamin A levels in the body rise, but doesn't necessarily stop. If startootsie was consuming very high levels of beta carotene, then it's still possible that she was slowly OD'ing on vitamin A. I think cutting back on her beta carotene intake is still advisable, to see if her symptoms are alleviated.

I also agree with Kyrie, though... you should probably go see a doctor to find out more.

You have a good point there!

[RawNut]

Startootsie,

Be careful taking supplements of any kind. Too much of a good thing can be bad. Was there a specific reason you were taking the spirulina in such high doses? I'm glad to hear you're getting better but it hasn't even been 10 days. If you don't go to a health care pro, keep close tabs on yourself.

RawNut

[startootsie]

I know I shouldn't have taken so much! :( I tend to dive into things to fast, and I honestly didn't think it would be a bad thing or create something bad, but now I have learned (through many hard lessons) that everything in balance is key. I think I needed this experience though. I have to learn not to go to extreme!

[kiddies]

Yellow and tan orange skin can be a sign of jaundice.

Here is some information on it:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003243.htm

It is something to look out for. Going to a doctor to be on the safe side would be a wise choice. They can do blood tests and stuff to see if you are jaundiced or if it is just too many carrots.

[startootsie]

Thank you for the warning, I will look into it. Though I still believe it is overdose on vitamin A because the color is fading now and the symptoms seem to be going away slowly, and I know I did take to much of it. Though I think it is important to look deeper also, so I will check that out. Thank you!

[vgloveforlife]

My hands are orange too! I have been taking a multi with vitamin A and Beta Carotene in it and eating lots of beta carotene rich foods. I am going to cut down right away.