Vitamin A - Can too much be harmful for those with Osteoporosis?

[Debs4]

Just seen a programme that warns against taking too much Vitamin A. I’ve never heard this before but they made the point that if our diet includes enough then check that if you take a multivitamin it doesn’t include Vit A as it could be harmful to bones. Never heard of this, has anyone else?

[HeronNS]

I didn't know about the bone connection but I believe that there has long been a warning about Vitamin A, that if it's in a supplement it should be in the form of beta carotene, and now even that is being questioned as there appears to be a cancer risk! It's fine in food, but not in supplements.

[Bev53-SB]

If the programme was last night on ITV at 7.30pm, I also saw it and the comments about Vitamin A supplements affecting bone density coincided with ROS article I read recently. It was a Facebook post. I felt quite concerned because for many years I have taken an omega three fish oil supplement to help osteoarthritis and the vitamin A content is high. The article I read said that it is the retinol within vitamin A supplements that is the issue and I stopped taking my fish oil supplement because when I calculated the retinol content it was much higher than I felt comfortable with. It is also interesting to note that two years ago I had steroid injections in my thumb joints. I reacted badly to these and they caused atrophy around the injection site and extreme thinning of the skin which resulted in skin tears and bruising at the slightest knock or pressure. When researching adverse effects of steroid injections I came upon an article which said that a retinoid cream could help thicken the skin and stop the bruising. It contains retinol and again there were comments about the effect of retinol on bone density, but the comments said that retinol in creams do not absorb into the blood stream . I decided to discuss this with my doctor, retinoid creams are usually prescribed for acne, but he was concerned about tearing of the skin and bleeding over my thumb joints and we decided to give it a try. It worked, I used it for about 3 months, then didn’t need to any more. Interesting to note though is that my next DEXA showed the biggest deterioration in bone density I have had in the past ten years. I have a DEXA scan every two years. There were other factors that could have contributed to the deterioration, i had major surgery and I was a passenger in a car accident, suffered fractures and had a significant period of time when I couldn’t exercise. However within all of this I can’t help but reflect upon the effect of my Vitamin A supplement in my fish oil and the retinoid cream I used.

[Debs4 in reply to Bev53-SB]

Yes it was Bev And I’ve recently added fish oil to my supplement regime 🙄 it’s just so hard getting the balance right you think you’ve sussed it and then hear something else. I’m wondering if it’s possible to have too much Vit A from diet alone. Have tended to eat loads of foods containing it thinking they would do nothing but good. Don’t think I’ve been excessive but still wondering. I too have had quite a lot of bone loss over the last five years -2.9 down to - 3.8 in a couple of vertebrae. Also was a passenger in a car accident resulting in another fracture to my spine. Lots of stress and anxiety and insomnia so I know that will be the biggest contributor to bone loss for me. However, I’m going to research now how much Vit A we should be consuming from food. If anyone already knows I’d be grateful for the info.

As an aside I know you’ve commented on SR, other than the potential side effects on heart and clotting do you know of any other problems with it? I have been prescribed HRT and Progesterone but am not sure whether to take it or not my GP is only prescribing it reluctantly because I refuse to take the usual drugs. I’m wondering if SR might be better although I do have varicose veins and often get high BP. Any comments greatly appreciated.

[Bev53-SB in reply to Debs4]

Hello again, I am thinking of ringing ROS to discuss their article on Vit A. I made a note when I read the article that up to 1,500mg of vitamin A was ok, but then became very confused when I looked at my Holland and Barrett’s fish oil supplement. Each capsule contains 2,664iu Vitamin A of which 0.3mcg is retinol. This seems like an awful lot given Vitamin A intake in my daily diet as well. I have found the fish oil supplement helps my arthritis so I am reluctant to stop taking it long term, but at the moment I have put it to one side. I’ll be interested in your research. It is sometimes like a minefield trying to work out the right supplements and treatment plan and we are all so different in terms of medical conditions in addition to OP, diet, lifestyle and stress levels.

In terms of SR whilst I posted about it coming back on prescription, at the time it wasn’t an option for me because I had just started taking Raloxifene,. I am so pleased that I tolerate this well with no side effects, although my next DEXA isn’t until next March when I will have a better idea about if efficacy. Raloxifene mimics HRT. Your high BP might contradict you for SR because it has been associated with heart attacks. Again ROS will have more information, I know they have a SR fact sheet and also one for Raloxifene.

Good luck with your Vitamin A research

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I knew that too much Vit A could be harmful, but never heard it in relation to bones. Until I found this: medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

[Bonnieboots]

What day of the week was this programme on please

[Bonnieboots]

What day was this on please

[Debs4 in reply to Bonnieboots]

Think it was on Tuesday?

[Bonnieboots]

I’m new to this site so feeling my way