What it does in the body
- Visual pigment formation (rhodopsin synthesis)
- Immune cell differentiation and mucosal barrier integrity
- Gene transcription regulation via retinoic acid receptors
- Embryonic development and organogenesis
- Skin cell turnover and epithelial maintenance
How much you need (Daily Value)
| Group | Recommended | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Adult male | 900 mcg RAE | NIH/IOM |
| Adult female | 700 mcg RAE | NIH/IOM |
| Pregnancy | 770 mcg RAE | WHO/IOM |
| Children | 300-600 mcg RAE (ages 1-13) | WHO |
| Older adults | 900 mcg RAE (male), 700 mcg RAE (female) | NIH |
Richest food sources
| Food | Amount | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Beef liver | 6582 mcg RAE per 100g | global |
| Sweet potato (orange-fleshed) | 1403 mcg RAE per 100g | Americas/Africa |
| Carrots | 835 mcg RAE per 100g | global |
| Spinach (cooked) | 524 mcg RAE per 100g | global |
| Mango | 54 mcg RAE per 100g | South Asia/Americas |
| Red palm oil | 5000 mcg RAE per 100ml | West Africa/Southeast Asia |
| Egg yolk | 381 mcg RAE per 100g | global |
| Moringa leaves | 378 mcg RAE per 100g | South Asia/Africa |
In our food database, per 100 g
Highest among our free foods — open the Food Explorer to compare.
If you don't get enough
Mild: Night blindness (nyctalopia), dry skin, increased susceptibility to respiratory infections
Moderate: Xerophthalmia (dry eyes), Bitot's spots, impaired immune response with frequent infections
Severe: Keratomalacia (corneal ulceration leading to irreversible blindness), severe immunodeficiency, increased child mortality
Time to onset: Liver stores last 1-2 years in well-nourished adults; night blindness appears within weeks to months of depletion
Too much
Upper limit: 3000 mcg RAE/day (10,000 IU) for adults
Acute: nausea, headache, blurred vision, intracranial hypertension. Chronic: hepatotoxicity, bone pain, skin peeling, teratogenicity in pregnancy (isotretinoin is category X)
How well you absorb it
Preformed retinol: 70-90%; beta-carotene: 3-30% depending on food matrix
Helped by: Dietary fat (minimum 3-5g per meal), Cooking/processing of plant sources, Zinc status (needed for retinol-binding protein), Bile salts
Hindered by: Fat malabsorption syndromes, Mineral oil laxatives, Olestra, Very low-fat diets
Cooking & storage
Cooking increases bioavailability of beta-carotene from plant sources by breaking cell walls. Retinol from animal sources is relatively heat-stable. Prolonged boiling can cause some loss (10-20%).
Nutrisize Health totals every nutrient from what you actually eat, against targets set for your age and sex, and flags what's short — across 4,995 foods, on your device.
