Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin best known for protecting your sight, particularly the ability to see in dim light. It comes ready-made as retinol in liver, oily fish, eggs and dairy, and is also made by the body from the orange and green pigments in carrots, sweet potatoes and spinach. Beyond vision, it is a guardian of the surfaces that meet the outside world, keeping skin and the linings of the gut and airways intact and helping immune cells mount a proper defence. Because it is stored in the liver, food sources are the safest route.
What is Vitamin A?
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a critical role in maintaining healthy vision, supporting the immune system and keeping skin and mucosal surfaces intact. While many general diets overlook it, maintaining optimal levels of Vitamin A is frequently tracked by people working to optimize their Immune & skin health.
Top Foods High in Vitamin A
A data-driven breakdown of the foods with the highest concentration of Vitamin A per 100 g.
| Food | Vitamin A | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| Carrot | 835 µg | 92.8% |
| Sweet Potato | 709 µg | 78.8% |
| Butternut Squash | 532 ug | 59.1% |
| Spinach | 469 µg | 52.1% |
| Pumpkin | 426 ug | 47.3% |
| Parsley | 421 ug | 46.8% |
| Basil | 264 ug | 29.3% |
| Cheddar Cheese | 263 µg | 29.2% |
| Kale | 241 µg | 26.8% |
| Parmesan | 207 µg | 23% |
| Mint | 203 ug | 22.6% |
| Thyme | 190 ug | 21.1% |
| Mozzarella | 179 µg | 19.9% |
| Kefir | 171 µg | 19% |
| Eggs | 160 µg | 17.8% |
| Red Bell Pepper | 157 ug | 17.4% |
| Rosemary | 156 ug | 17.3% |
| Apricot | 96 ug | 10.7% |
| Oregano | 85 ug | 9.4% |
| Rainbow Trout | 84 µg | 9.3% |
How Vitamin A Impacts Immune & skin health
Research links diets rich in Vitamin A to changes in Immune & skin health. Optimizing intake of these foods can support healthy Immune & skin health levels via regulating the genes that mature immune cells and renew the epithelial barrier of the skin and mucous membranes.
Written by the Nutrition Encyclopedia team · medically reviewed by Dr. Sunaina Tariq, MBBS
Last updated 31 July 2026
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