Who needs a vitamin A supplement?

Vitamin A deficiency within the United States is under control according to the World Health Organization. However, deficiency can occur among children and adults who do not consume enough yellow and green vegetables, fruits and liver.

Children with low body stores of vitamin A may require supplementation. Vitamin A deficiency is estimated to affect millions of children around the world. The countries with the highest prevalence of children with vitamin A deficiency are in developing countries with Southeast Asia and Africa leading the way.

Also, individuals that have difficulty absorbing fat may also poorly absorb vitamin A. This can occur in people with cystic fibrosis, pancreatic disorders, and after stomach surgery. The liver in healthy adults has the ability to store vitamin A in a reserve for about one year so a temporary or short term difficulty absorbing vitamin A would not be much of a problem. If the problem persists for longer than a year, however, and vitamin A deficiency may result and supplementation may be required. Children may only have enough stores of vitamin A to last several weeks, so children with difficutly abosorbing fat may require immediate vitamin A supplementation.

A steady supply of vitamin A is especially important for pregnant and breastfeeding women.