Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin and plays a role in promoting vision, maintaining the health of our skin, supporting the immune system and promoting growth and bone remodeling. There are three forms of vitamin A: Retinol, Retinal and Retinoic acid. Retinol is the major transport and storage form of vitamin A. All fat soluble vitamins pose a risk for toxicity since excess amounts get stored in the body.

The good news is the beta-carotene (a vitamin A precursor) available in plant foods is not converted to vitamin A efficiently enough to cause toxicity. Excess amounts get stored as carotene in the fat deposits. Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D. states in her book, Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy, that "fruits and vegetables are the best place to get your vitamin A, since it is virtually impossible to consume a toxic dose of beta-carotene form dietary sources." So, you are more likely to get an orange tint to your skin than build toxic levels of vitamin A in your body (that's consuming a lot of carrots). Since the beta-carotene is not converted to retinol, the supplements you are taking should not cause any problems. Do stay away from vitamin supplements that contain levels thousands of times the RDA.

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