Vitamin A 10,000 IU (From Fish Oil)

Vitamin A was the first vitamin named, which is how it got the letter. Elmer McCollum identified a fat-soluble factor in butterfat and cod liver oil in 1913, and the alphabet followed from there.

This is retinol, from fish oil — the preformed vitamin, not beta-carotene. The distinction is worth understanding. Beta-carotene is a provitamin: the body cleaves it into retinal, but the conversion is inefficient and highly variable between individuals, and common polymorphisms in the BCMO1 enzyme reduce it substantially. Preformed retinol requires no conversion.

Retinol's most examined role is in vision. In the retina, 11-cis-retinal binds to opsin to form rhodopsin, and when a photon strikes it, the molecule changes shape — the single chemical event on which sight in dim light depends. Beyond the eye, retinoic acid acts as a hormone-like ligand for nuclear receptors that regulate gene transcription, supporting normal epithelial tissue, normal immune function, and normal growth.

Vitamin A is fat-soluble and stored in the liver. Take with a meal containing fat, and do not exceed recommended intake. If you are pregnant or may become pregnant, consult a physician before use.

100 softgels, 10,000 IU each.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.