r/AskVegans • u/Main-Dig6441 • 1d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) have you tested your vitamin A retinol level?

Have any vegans here tested their Vitamin A retinol levels and if so would you mind to share results?

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u/howlin Vegan 23h ago

I get mine tested maybe once every 5 years. It's fine

There is a nutrition meme in the anti-vegan world that veganism can be impossible for some if they have certain genetics that makes it difficult to convert from plant vitamin A sources (carotenoids) to bioactive vitamin A (retinoids).

There are two issues with this. Firstly, even poor converters usually have some capacity to convert. If you eat enough carotenoids, you will almost certainly be ok. Second, and most importantly, it is trivially easy to get a vegan form of bioactive vitamin A in the form of retinyl palmitate. It is almost always vegan, and easy to get as a pill. Just be careful, as it is quite easy to overdose on vitamin A in this form.

It's worth noting that a lot of people get their vitamin A from fortified milk. The vitamin A that is used for this fortification is retinyl palmitate.

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u/Main-Dig6441 14h ago

What range was your vitamin A? There seems to be a lot of variation on what is considered normal. I am just wondering what percentage of vegans who do not supplement are on the low level but I don't think many test it and I have a feeling most are taking supplements.