ConsumerLab.com Identifies Best Vitamin A Supplements, But Cautions That Most People Don’t Need Them

Vitamin A supplements can save your sight and reduce your risk of infection if you are vitamin A deficient. However, deficiency is rare in the US, where people are more likely to be at risk for excess vitamin A. For people who do need more vitamin A, such as those with liver disease or conditions which cause malabsorption, ConsumerLab.com has identified several supplements offering top quality and excellent value. 

ConsumerLab.com purchased and tested popular vitamin A supplements made from cod liver oil, other fish oils, beta-carotene, and/or synthetic retinyl palmitate. Products were tested to confirm that they contained their claimed amounts of vitamin A. Fish oils were further tested for freshness and potential contamination with mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic, as well as PCBs. Many products passed all of these tests and some cost only pennies a day.

ConsumerLab.com’s “Product Review: Vitamin A Supplements” is available online.¹ Products covered in the new report are Carlson Norwegian Cod Liver Oil, ChildLife Cod Liver Oil, CVS/pharmacy A, Nature Made A, Nature’s Bounty Beta-Carotene, NOW Vitamin A, Puritan’s Pride Beta-Carotene, Rite Aid Natural Vitamin A, Solgar Dry Vitamin A, Thorne Research Vitamin A, Vitacost Norwegian Cod Liver Oil, and Vitamin World Beta-Carotene. In addition to test results and comparisons, the report reviews the uses of vitamin A, dosing, and potential side effects. It also indicates which products exceed safe limits for regular daily intake – information not normally found – nor required – on supplement labels. Toxicity with vitamin A can occur at doses only moderately higher than required to prevent deficiency.

Founded in 1999, ConsumerLab.com is a leading provider of consumer information and independent evaluations of products that affect health and nutrition. Membership to ConsumerLab.com is available online and provides immediate access to reviews of more than 1,000 products from over 400 brands. The company is privately held and based in Westchester, New York. It has no ownership from, or interest in, companies that manufacture, distribute, or sell consumer products.

Notes

1. Best quality vitamin A supplements identified – but you may not need one [Web page]. ConsumerLab.com. https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/Vitamin_A_Retinol_Beta-Carotene_Cod_Liver_Oil/Vitamin_A.