Top 10 Foods High in Vitamin A

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Top 10 Foods High in Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin essential for good vision, immune system function, and healthy skin. (1,2)

A deficiency of vitamin A can lead to blindness and increased viral infection. However, deficiency is only considered a problem in developing countries, where it is a leading cause of blindness in children. (3,4)

About The Types of Vitamin A and Retinol Equivalents

  • Vitamin A is available to humans in 2 ways: preformed vitamin A and carotenoids.
  • Carotenoids, like beta-carotene, are found in plant foods and have to be converted by the body into vitamin A. (5,6)
  • Preformed vitamin A is found in animal food sources like liver, meat, fish, and dairy. Like carotenoids, the preformed vitamin A also needs to be metabolized by the body into an active form of vitamin A. (6)
  • In rare cases certain people cannot convert carotenoids to vitamin A and should consume vitamin A found in animal food sources or supplements. These people should see our lists of meats high in vitamin A, fish high in vitamin A, and dairy foods high in vitamin A.
  • Since vitamin A comes in many forms, starting from July 2018 large US food producers will report vitamin A values in retinol activity equivalents (RAE) of vitamin A. The new daily value for Vitamin A RAE will be 900mcg per day. (7)

High vitamin A foods include sweet potatoes, carrots, fish (tuna), winter squashes, dark leafy greens, cantaloupe, lettuce, bell peppers, pink grapefruit, and broccoli. The current daily value (DV) for Vitamin A is 900mcg of retinol activity equivalents (RAEs). (7)

Below is a list high vitamin A foods.

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A printable list of the top 10 foods highest in vitamin A.

Vitamin A Foods by Nutrient Density (Vitamin A per Gram)

FoodServingVitamin A (RAE)
1. Cod Liver Oil 100 grams 3333% DV
(30000mcg)
2. Beef Liver (Cooked) 100 grams 860% DV
(7744mcg)
3. Fortified Breakfast Cereals 100 grams 110% DV
(990mcg)
4. Baked Sweet Potatoes 100 grams 107% DV
(961mcg)
5. Cooked Carrots 100 grams 95% DV
(852mcg)
6. Bluefin Tuna (Raw or Cooked) 100 grams 84% DV
(757mcg)
7. Butter 100 grams 76% DV
(684mcg)
8. Dried Apricots 100 grams 70% DV
(633mcg)
9. Raw Turnip Greens 100 grams 64% DV
(579mcg)
10. Cooked Spinach 100 grams 58% DV
(524mcg)

Other Vitamin A Rich Foods

FoodServingVitamin A (RAE)
1. Cooked Lamb Liver 3oz 735% DV
(6615mcg)
2. Cooked Eel per 5.5oz fillet 201% DV
(1808mcg)
3. Cooked Chikcen Liver per liver (44g) 195% DV
(1752mcg)
4. Light Whipping Cream per cup whipped 37% DV
(335mcg)
5. Cooked Garden Cress per cup 35% DV
(313mcg)
6. Chocolate Mousse 1/2 cup 31% DV
(283mcg)
7. Rose Hips per cup 31% DV
(276mcg)
8. Raw Parsley per cup chopped 28% DV
(253mcg)
9. Smoked Sturgeon per 3oz 26% DV
(238mcg)
10. Cooked Jute Potherb (Molokhiya) per cup 25% DV
(225mcg)
11. Whole Milk per 16oz cup 25% DV
(224mcg)
12. Minestrone per cup 24% DV
(214mcg)
13. Ricotta Cheese per 1/2 cup 17% DV
(149mcg)
14. Farmed Salmon (Cooked) per 6oz fillet 13% DV
(117mcg)
15. Eggs 1 large egg (90g) 11% DV
(101mcg)
16. Canned Oysters per 12oz can 9% DV
(77mcg)
17. Tangerines per cup sections 7% DV
(66mcg)
18. Plain Whole Milk Yogurt per cup 7% DV
(66mcg)

Vitamin A Requirements By Age and Gender

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for Vitamin A ranges from 300mcg to 1300mcg per day. The daily value for vitamin A is 900mcg per day. (7)

Life StageRDA
Infants*
0-6 months old400mcg
7-12 months old500mcg
Children
1-3 years old300mcg
4-8 years old400mcg
Males
9-13 years old600mcg
14-18 years old900mcg
19-50 years old900mcg
50+ years old900mcg
Females
9-13 years old600mcg
14-18 years old700mcg
19-50 years old700mcg
50+ years old700mcg
Pregnancy
14-18 years old750mcg
18+ years old770mcg
Lactation
14-18 years old1200mcg
18+ years old1300mcg
*The amounts for children less than 1 year old is the adequate intake (AI) not RDA.
Source: Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A.

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Data Sources and References

  1. Hodge C, Taylor C. Vitamin A 2023 Jan 2. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan–. 33620821
  2. De Flora S, Bagnasco M, Vainio H. The importance of vitamin A in nutrition Mutagenesis. 1999 Mar;14(2):153-72. doi: 10.1093/mutage/14.2.153. 10229917
  3. DeMaeyer EM. The vicious cycle of vitamin a deficiency: A review Nutr Health. 1986;4(2):105-12. doi: 10.1177/026010608600400206. 3090484
  4. Strobel M, Tinz J, Biesalski HK. Vitamin A Deficiency Eur J Nutr. 2007 Jul;46 Suppl 1:I1-20. doi: 10.1007/s00394-007-1001-z. 17665093
  5. Weber D, Grune T. Beta-carotene is an important vitamin A source for humans Mol Nutr Food Res. 2012 Feb;56(2):251-8. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201100230. Epub 2011 Sep 29. 21957049
  6. Hodge C, Taylor C. Vitamin A 2023 Jan 2. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan–. 33620821
  7. U.S.FDA - Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
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