Vitamin A

In a series of short posts we will be looking at crucial vitamins for our body – today we’re looking at Vitamin A.

You might know Vitamin A as retinol, and is helpful for your body’s natural defence against illness as well as keeping our skin healthy. It’s also important in aiding us see in low light.

Men need around 0.7mg a day and women around 0.6mg, mango and apricots as well as eggs and cheese are good sources for vitamin A to include in your diet.

It may be possible to have too much vitamin A with studies suggesting that sustained high doses might lead to increase risk of osteoporosis – where bones break more easily.

If you’re pregnant, larger amounts of vitamin A can also harm your unborn baby so it’s best to avoid foods that contain liver as these are particularly high in vitamin A.