Ladies who take vitamins

[MeechUK]

I was researching vitamins and hair loss and was shocked to learn that taking more than the RDA for Vitamin A, ie.200mg, could lead to hair loss! Do any of you using vitamins check the RDA on the vitamins you take?

 

[babs19]

anything in excesive quantities is harmfull to the body. i do believe you can exceed the RDA but not to insane levels obviously.

disclaimer- i am not a doctor (lol)

 

[tiffers]

I purposely don't take any vits that contain vitamin A or any other vitamins you can overdose on. That's too much to think about and I don't have time

 

[iNicola]

Interesting...my supplements combine gives me 90% of the daily value of Vitamin A so the excess will be coming from my diet. I'll be switching my multi-vitamin soon anyway which should bring it down to 70%. I'm good on everything else.

 

[SweetSpirit86]

I take a prenatal (no, I'm not preggers) that has 4000 IU. About 50% of the daily value, but it's only about 2mg. It's actually less.

 

[newflowers]

I'm certain that someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, the RDA are the minimum requirements. One must certainly be careful to not overdose on fat soluble vitamins like A and others like B and C will flush from your body.

 

[ycj]

I'm certain that someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, the RDA are the minimum requirements. One must certainly be careful to not overdose on fat soluble vitamins like A and others like B and C will flush from your body.

You are correct, when taking vitamins I do understand the importance of vit overload, but also read your body will only absorb what it needs and will flush the excess out!

 

[Nonie]

I was researching vitamins and hair loss and was shocked to learn that taking more than the RDA for Vitamin A, ie.200mg, could lead to hair loss! Do any of you using vitamins check the RDA on the vitamins you take?

That is inaccurate. I take 25,000 IU units of Vitamin A daily because that's what my multi-vitamin provides and what I've always known necessary to keep my immunity fairly OK and I've done this since the early nineties. (I used to have systemic candidiasis so a good potent multi was what was recommended and what I've always tried to take.)

To reach Vitamin A toxicity, the kind that may lead to hair loss, you would have to be in the tens of thousands range. I think the RDA you quote OP is that of a baby:

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

The RDA for vitamin A was revised by the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) of the Institute of Medicine in 2001. The latest RDA is based on the amount needed to ensure adequate stores (four months) of vitamin A in the body to support normal reproductive function, immune function, gene expression, and vision (21). The table below lists the RDA values in both micrograms (mcg) of Retinol Activity Equivalents (RAE) and international units (IU). For more information on these units, see the section on RAE.​

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Vitamin A as Preformed Vitamin A (Retinol Activity Equivalents) Life Stage Age Males: mcg/day (IU/day) Females: mcg/day (IU/day) Infants (AI) 0-6 months 400 (1,333 IU) 400 (1,333 IU) Infants (AI) 7-12 months 500 (1,667 IU) 500 (1,667 IU) Children 1-3 years 300 (1,000 IU) 300 (1,000 IU) Children 4-8 years 400 (1,333 IU) 400 (1,333 IU) Children 9-13 years 600 (2,000 IU) 600 (2,000 IU) Adolescents 14-18 years 900 (3,000 IU) 700 (2,333 IU) Adults 19 years and older 900 (3,000 IU) 700 (2,333 IU) Pregnancy 18 years and younger - 750 (2,500 IU) Pregnancy 19 years and older - 770 (2,567 IU) Breast-feeding 18 years and younger - 1,200 (4,000 IU) Breast-feeding 19 years and older - 1,300 (4,333 IU)

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminA/

From what I've read, the toxicity level of Vitamin A that causes hair loss is over 50,000 IU.

"For most people, up to 25,000 IU (7,500 mcg) of vitamin A per day is considered safe. However, people over age 65 and those with liver disease should probably not supplement with more than 15,000 IU per day, unless supervised by a doctor. In women who could become pregnant, the maximum safe intake is being re-evaluated. However, less than 10,000 IU (3,000 mcg) per day is generally accepted as safe. There is concern that larger intakes could cause birth defects. Whether the average person would benefit from vitamin A supplementation remains unclear."
(http://www.solgar.co.uk/notes/vitamin-a-2921003/)
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