Nutrient glossary
What is vitamin A?
Vitamin A keeps vision, immunity and skin working, from retinol in animal foods and beta-carotene in orange and green vegetables.
Reviewed 20 July 2026. General information, not medical advice.
The short version
Vitamin A comes in two forms: ready-made retinol from liver, dairy, eggs and oily fish, and beta-carotene from carrots, sweet potato, squash and dark greens, which the body converts as needed. Night vision is its most famous job, but immune defence and skin renewal depend on it just as much.
Because it is fat-soluble and stored in the liver, both shortfall and long-term excess matter. Food sources self-regulate well; high-dose retinol supplements and daily liver are where excess comes from, and pregnancy is when that caution matters most.
Daily reference
700 µg a day
The reference is 700 µg a day for men and 600 µg for women, counted in retinol equivalents so plant beta-carotene is already converted in the numbers.
This is the fixed adult reference used across these pages. In the app, your amount adjusts to your body and way of eating.
Best food sources of vitamin A
Full ranking| Food | Per serving | Per 100g |
|---|---|---|
| Beef Liver | 8,024 µg | 9,440 µg |
| Sweet Potato (baked) | 1,096 µg | 961 µg |
| Butternut Squash | 745 µg | 532 µg |
| Carrots | 509 µg | 835 µg |
| Pumpkin | 494 µg | 426 µg |
| Spinach | 281 µg | 469 µg |
| Cantaloupe Melon | 270 µg | 169 µg |
| Romaine Lettuce | 205 µg | 436 µg |
Common questions
- Do carrots really help you see in the dark?
- They supply beta-carotene, which becomes the retinal your eyes need for low-light vision. They restore poor night vision only if it was caused by deficiency.
- Why is liver a caution food in pregnancy?
- Liver is extremely rich in retinol, and very high retinol intakes can harm a developing baby, so UK advice is to avoid liver when pregnant.