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Summary
Vitamins are substances that your body needs to grow and develop normally. Vitamin A plays a role in your:
- Vision
- Bone growth
- Reproduction
- Cell functions
- Immune system
Vitamin A is an antioxidant. It can come from plant or animal sources. Plant sources include colorful fruits and vegetables. Animal sources include liver and whole milk. Vitamin A is also added to foods like cereals.
Vegetarians, young children, and alcoholics may need extra Vitamin A. You might also need more if you have certain conditions, such as liver diseases, cystic fibrosis, and Crohn's disease. Check with your health care provider to see if you need to take vitamin A supplements.
NIH: National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Vitamin A
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
- Find a Nutrition Expert (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
- Food and Drug Administration
- Food and Nutrition Information Center
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National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements
Patient Handouts
- Beta-carotene blood test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Hypervitaminosis A (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Vitamin A (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Vitamin A blood test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish