"Most people think natural means safe, but your liver processes every supplement you swallow," points out Dr. James Park, MD, the co-director of the Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation at the Northwell Transplant Institute and the chief of hepatology at North Shore University Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Lenox Hill Hospital.
"The liver is one of the body’s hardest-working organs," Dr. Brian T. Lee, MD, a transplant hepatologist at Hoag, tells Parade. "It processes nutrients, helps remove harmful substances from the bloodstream, produces proteins needed for blood clotting, supports digestion and regulates energy storage."
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"It can range from just the development of increased fat in the liver from high doses of vitamin A over long periods of time, to the development of liver cirrhosis, which is advanced scarring in the liver," says Dr. Varun Saxena, MD, a transplant hepatologist with Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco. "[It can even go] all the way up to complete liver failure, where the liver function deteriorates and patients need to be rescued with a transplant."
Dr. Nadir adds that malabsorptive surgeries, like gastric bypass to promote weight loss, can also cause deficiencies. These people may need to take a vitamin A supplement under a doctor's supervision—that's not hepatologists' concern.
High-dose vitamin A is classified as more than 10,000 international units (IU) or 3,000 micrograms (mcg) of Retinol Activity Equivalent (RAE). "If anyone is taking more than that, there is an increased risk of liver toxicity," Dr. says.
"[Liver injury] can also occur when people unknowingly combine several products, such as a multivitamin, a skin supplement and immune-support supplements, which each can contain preformed vitamin A," he warns.
"It’s really important to understand that you just don't know what you're getting when it comes to supplements. Also, because the liver is responsible for metabolizing everything that we put in our mouths, it's really the liver that's going to be most susceptible to a bad reaction when it comes to supplements," he says.
How Much Vitamin A Do I Need per Day?
"Recommendations from the FDA and from good research from decades are no more than 10,000 international units per day," Dr. Saxena says. "That doesn't mean people have to reach that level. In reality, just getting to half of that per day is plenty."
Some of his favorite ways to get vitamin A through food are:
Sweet potatoesCarrotsPumpkinSpinachKaleRed bell peppersEggs (in the yolk)DairyFishRelated: The Cooking Oil To Avoid if You Have Fatty Liver Disease, According to Gastroenterologists
Dr. Park is especially begging people to stop taking anything marketed as "liver cleanse" or "liver detox."
Dr. Lee notes that it's always a good idea to talk to your doctor before taking any supplements, especially if you're on prescription medications or have other underlying conditions.
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Related: Here’s Exactly What Happens to Your Liver When You Drink Green Tea
Sources:
Dr. Varun Saxena, MD, a transplant hepatologist with Kaiser Permanente in San FranciscoDr. Brian T. Lee, MD, a transplant hepatologist at HoagDr. James Park, MD, the co-director of the Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation at the Northwell Transplant Institute and the chief of hepatology at North Shore University Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Lenox Hill HospitalDr. Abdul Nadir, MD, an HonorHealth hepatologist and gastroenterologist specializing in hepatologyEight-Fold Increase in Dietary Supplement-Related Liver Failure Leading to Transplant Waitlisting Over the Last Quarter Century in the United States. Liver Transplantation.LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury, Vitamin A. National Center for Biotechnology Information.Vitamin A and Carotenoids. Office of Dietary Supplements.Hence then, the article about the common supplement hepatologists wish people would stop taking so casually was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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