Andrew Huberman on Vitamin A
5 episodes · 8 references · 2021–2025
- Huberman takes vitamin A as part of his foundational supplement stack, supplementing food sources - He extensively discusses vitamin A's role in vision via the phototransduction cascade - No specific dosage, brand, or frequency details provided; cautions against overdosing due to fat solubility
Consumption
- Takes vitamin A through a foundational supplement in addition to dietary sources - No specific dose, brand, or frequency mentioned - No details on which form of vitamin A he supplements
Benefits
- Essential for phototransduction — converts photons into electrical signals in rods and cones - Retinoic acid (vitamin A derivative) drives the same pathway used by photo pigments in the eye - The biochemical cascade involving vitamin A is the reason carrots are associated with better vision
Best Practices
- Recommends eating dark leafy vegetables and carrots rich in vitamin A - Advises consuming these vegetables close to their raw form to support vision - No specific supplemental dosing or timing guidance provided
Cautions
- Vitamin A is fat-soluble and stored in the body long-term, increasing accumulation risk - Easy to overdose when supplementing — explicitly cautions against taking too much - No safe upper limit or specific toxicity threshold discussed
“It's vitamin A that's essential for the so-called phototransduction cascade, the process by which the photoreceptors take photons, light energy, and convert it into electrical signals.”
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“These photo receptors, the rods and cones, have chemical reactions inside them that involve things like vitamin A. That chemical reaction converts the light into electricity within the eye.”
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“Retinoic acid, Retin-A, is actually a derivative of vitamin A. The pathway involving retinoic acid and vitamin A is very similar to the natural biological pathway by which photo pigments in the eye convert light information.”
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