Human Nutrition 3(3+0)

Lesson 3 : Recommended Dietary Allowances for Nutrients

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is essential for normal vision, for maintaining the integrity of epithelial tissues and for a wide variety of metabolic functions. Vitamin A requirements are expressed in terms of retinol or carotene.1?g retinol equals 4?g ? – Carotene. The requirements suggested for infants, children and pregnant and lactating women and for the bodily conversion factor of ? – carotene to vitamin A have been taken into account in the recommended vitamin A intakes for various groups as given in Table.

Table 6: RDA for Retinol/ß carotene

Group	Retinol	? - carotene
Adult man and woman	600	4800
Pregnant woman	800	6400
Lactating woman	950	7600
Infants: 0 – 6 months 6 – 12 months	- 350	- 2800
Children: 1 – 6 7 – 9 10 - 17	400 600 600	3200 4800 4800

Ref: Nutrition Expert group, ICMR(2010)