Vitamin A (Acetate)

What is Vitamin A?

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble essential nutrient that plays a critical role in maintaining vision, supporting immune function, regulating cellular growth, and preserving the integrity of skin and mucous membranes (1,2).

In supplements, vitamin A is commonly provided as retinyl acetate or retinyl palmitate, both of which are active forms that your body can use immediately (3). 

Vitamin A is stored in the liver, and although we don’t need to replenish it daily like water-soluble vitamins, chronic low intake or malabsorption can lead to deficiency, particularly for those on low-fat or plant-based diets (4).

Why Do Outdoor Adventurers Need Vitamin A?

Spending days on the trail can be tough on your immune system – exposure to the elements, disrupted sleep, sun damage, and heavy exertion all increase susceptibility to illness and slow recovery from injury (5). Vitamin A is essential for the normal functioning of immune cells, particularly in mucous membranes of the gut, lungs, and skin – the body's first line of defence (5, 6).

Vitamin A is also vital for vision, especially in low light conditions (7,11) – kind of important if you’re finding your tent zipper by headlamp. Even mild deficiency can result in delayed dark adaptation (7,8,11), potentially affecting safety and navigation at dusk and dawn.

Adventurers also expose their skin to the elements more than most, and vitamin A helps maintain skin integrity and wound healing, reducing the risk of infections (8).

Dietary Sources of Vitamin A?

Vitamin A exists in two main forms:

• Preformed vitamin A (retinol): found in animal products like liver, eggs, butter, and oily fish. (1)
• Provitamin A carotenoids (like beta-carotene): Carotenoids give orange, red, and yellow fruits and vegetables their colour, and the body can convert some of them into Vitamin A. They’re also found in some dark green fruits and vegetables like spinach (1,11).

While it’s easy to meet requirements with a mixed diet at home, trail diets are often low in animal fats and leafy veg, which can make it harder to get enough, especially in preformed form.

What’s the Best Form of A For Hikers?

Vitamin A Acetate 250SD is a preformed, stable, and bioavailable form of vitamin A. It's fat-soluble, meaning it's best absorbed with dietary fat – but in supplement form, it’s often micellised or emulsified to improve absorption regardless of fat content (9).

The 250SD spray-dried format allows for consistent dosing and long shelf life, ideal for supplementing in rugged trail conditions without worrying about spoilage or degradation (15).

While beta-carotene is often used in plant-based supplements, its conversion to active vitamin A depends on genetics, diet, and health status (14). Preformed vitamin A guarantees delivery in its usable form, without relying on these variables.

Key Information About Vitamin A

Deficiency Stats

Globally, vitamin A deficiency is a leading cause of preventable blindness, and while deficiency is less common in developed countries, marginal deficiency is not rare, especially in people with restrictive diets or poor fat absorption (11,12). 

In Australia, comprehensive data is limited, but populations with higher needs – including those with digestive disorders, vegans, and frequent travellers – may be at greater risk. The latest Australian Nutrient Intake Survey found that 20% of females aged 19-30, and 14% (females) and 17% (men) aged 31-70 don’t get enough Vitamin A on a daily basis (12). 

Why Optiventure Has 1.2mg of Vitamin A Acetate

The 1.2mg dose of Vitamin A Acetate 250SD in Optiventure provides 3000 IU or 900μg RAE – exactly the RDI for adult males, and 133% of the RDI for adult females.

This dosage hits the sweet spot for adventurers – it:

• Meets daily needs without risking toxicity (13,14)
• Supports low-light vision, immune function, and skin health when outdoor exposure is high
• Replaces what might be missing in a low-fat, low-veg trail diet
• Is in a stable, bioavailable form ideal for use in mixed-nutrient formulations

It’s a clinically relevant dose, and it avoids the risks associated with mega-dosing, such as liver toxicity, which occur at much higher levels (13,14).

References

1. National Institutes of Health. (2020). Vitamin A - Fact sheet for health professionals. Retrieved February 25, 2025, fromhttps://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/
2. Ross, A. C. (2018). Vitamin A and retinoic acid in T cell–related immunity. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 96(5), 1166S–1172S. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.034637
3. EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources. (2008). Retinyl acetate and retinyl palmitate as sources of vitamin A. EFSA Journal, 729, 1–26.
4. Combs, G. F. (2008). The vitamins: Fundamental aspects in nutrition and health (3rd ed.). Academic Press.
5. Stephensen, C. B. (2001). Vitamin A, infection, and immune function. Annual Review of Nutrition, 21, 167–192. doi: 10.1146/annurev.nutr.21.1.167
6. Maggini, S., Pierre, A., & Calder, P. C. (2018). Immune function and micronutrient requirements change over the life course. Nutrients, 10(10), 1531. doi: 10.3390/nu10101531
7. Sommer, A. (2008). Vitamin A deficiency and clinical disease: An historical overview. The Journal of Nutrition, 138(10), 1835–1839.doi.org/10.1093/jn/138.10.1835
8. Ehrlich, A., & Callender, V. D. (2007). Vitamin A and wound healing. Dermatologic Therapy, 20(5), 322–329.
9. DSM Nutritional Products. (n.d.). Spray-dried vitamin formulations: Technical data sheet – Vitamin A Acetate 250SD.
10. National Health and Medical Research Council. (2006). Nutrient reference values for Australia and New Zealand: Vitamin A. Retrieved fromhttps://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/vitamin-a
11. World Health Organization. (2009). Global prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in populations at risk 1995–2005.
12. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2015). Australian Health Survey: Usual nutrient intakes, 2011–12. Retrieved February 25, 2025, fromhttps://www.abs.gov.au
13. Penniston, K. L., & Tanumihardjo, S. A. (2006). The acute and chronic toxic effects of vitamin A. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83(2), 191–201.
14. Hathcock, J. N. (1997). Vitamins and minerals: Efficacy and safety. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 66(2), 427–437.doi: 10.1093/ajcn/66.2.427
15. Patil, R., Singh, A., Mane, S., & others. (2024). Emerging encapsulation strategies for vitamin A fortification in the food sector: An overview. Food Science and Biotechnology, 33, 2937–2951. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-024-01635-8