Vitamins are nutrients needed to carry out many of the body’s essential functions. According to MedlinePlus, there are 13 vitamins you need to grow and develop normally, including vitamins A and E.
It’s ideal to get these essential vitamins from the foods you eat, but that can sometimes be difficult for any number of reasons.
Taking a daily multivitamin is one way to ensure you’re getting enough of each vitamin. However, overconsuming vitamins A and E can be toxic. They may interact with certain medications or medical conditions, too.
Consult your doctor about taking a multivitamin and whether you should consider multivitamins without vitamins A and E.
Vitamin A
“Vitamin A” is the umbrella term for a group of compounds that include retinol, retinyl esters, beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. It has an important role in vision, reproduction, immune function, and cell growth.
The daily value (DV) of vitamin A is 900 micrograms (mcg) retinol activity equivalents (RAE). Foods containing vitamin A include:
- Sweet potato
- Spinach
- Carrots
- Herring
- Fortified skim milk
- Cantaloupe
- Red peppers
- Mangoes
According to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, vitamin A supplements interact with some medications that can be toxic to the liver. Supplementation is also contraindicated with chronic alcohol consumption, liver lesions, and when pregnant.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin and antioxidant, the NIH says. The name, like vitamin A, is also an umbrella term for its various forms. Alpha-tocopherol is the only form of vitamin E that meets your body’s needs, however.
Vitamin E’s antioxidant effects help protect your cells from damage. It also has a role in immune function. In addition, vitamin E can inhibit platelet aggregation and therefore might help prevent the formation of blood clots.
The DV of vitamin E is 15 milligrams (mg). Vitamin E is found in foods such as:
- Wheat germ
- Seeds and nuts
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Kiwi
- Some oils
According to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, high blood serum levels of vitamin E that can result from supplementation interact with warfarin (Coumadin) and other blood thinners.
It’s also not known whether taking supplements that contain vitamin E or other antioxidants during chemotherapy or radiation therapy can lessen or negate their effects.
If you’re undergoing these therapies and concerned about your vitamin E or other antioxidant intake, particularly in supplement form, talk with your doctor.
Multivitamins Without Vitamin A
According to the Merck Manual, adults who consume more than 1,500 mcg RAE daily can develop chronic vitamin A toxicity. Megadoses of vitamin A can also lead to liver toxicity.
Eating excessive amounts of food with carotenes won’t lead to vitamin A toxicity, but it can turn your skin yellow.
Symptoms of toxicity vary but typically include headache and a rash. Acute toxicity from ingesting massive amounts of vitamin A is extremely rare in adults but is more common when children accidentally ingest large amounts of supplements.
Symptoms of acute toxicity include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, drowsiness, irritability, and increased pressure within the skull.
Chronic toxicity from ingesting lots of vitamin A over a longer period can initially cause coarse hair, loss of eyebrow hair, dry and rough skin, dry eyes, and cracked lips.
Later, symptoms include severe headache, pressure in the skull, and generalized weakness. Bones weakened by chronic vitamin A toxicity can also make fractures occur easily.
Although they may be hard to find, you can buy a multivitamin without vitamin A, though it will likely still contain vitamin E.
The following are all vitamin A-free multivitamins:
Multivitamins Without Vitamin E
Consuming too much vitamin E can also cause toxicity. The upper limit of vitamin E consumption per day is 1,000 mg, according to the Merck Manual.
Many adults take large doses of 400 mg to 800 mg daily for months to years with no side effects. Occasionally, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, and muscle weakness occur at such doses.
The most severe outcome of vitamin E toxicity is impaired blood clotting and bleeding. This is uncommon in doses under 1,000 mg, unless you also take a blood thinning medication.
According to the Linus Pauling Institute, some doctors recommend discontinuing high-dose vitamin E supplementation two to four weeks before a surgery to decrease the risk of hemorrhage.
To avoid overconsumption, you can buy a multivitamin without vitamin E, though most brands without it still contain vitamin A.
Versions that don’t have vitamin E include:
Be aware that dietary supplements aren’t regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The quality and content of supplements varies by brand. Check labels and choose supplements from reputable brands that have been certified by a third-party testing organization, Mayo Clinic says.
Look for brands independently certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) or the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Certification indicates that standards for safety, quality, and performance have been met.
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