🧪 Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin needed for vision, defence against disease and healthy skin. Vitamin A is needed for eyesight, especially in dim light, for fighting off illness and for healthy skin. It also supports the moist linings of the body, such as inside the nose. The body can store vitamin A, so you do not have to get it every day.

In milk, vitamin A is dissolved in the milk fat. So whole milk, cream, butter and cheese have more of it, and skimmed milk has less. The NHS lists cheese, milk and yogurt among sources of vitamin A, along with eggs and oily fish. There is also a plant route: carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes and apricots contain beta-carotene. The body turns it into vitamin A on its own.

The NHS says men need about 700 µg of vitamin A a day and women about 600 µg. A varied diet usually provides enough. Too much vitamin A is dangerous. Getting more than 1,500 µg a day for years can make bones weaker. Liver is especially rich in it. The NHS advises pregnant women not to eat liver or pâté.