GAPS discusses vitamin A through food, digestion and cod liver oil together. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride prefers natural animal-food sources and describes cod liver oil as a practical supplement source of vitamins A and D.[1]
The useful question is not simply whether a bottle says “vitamin A.” It is which form and amount it provides, how it fits with food, and what the source actually says about the person using it.
What Vitamin A Does
Vitamin A supports vision, immunity, growth, reproduction and cell differentiation. The GAPS chapter pays particular attention to the gut lining, a tissue with active cell turnover, and describes a relationship between poor digestion and inadequate vitamin A.[1][2]
The author also discusses immune responses and infection in vitamin A deficiency. Those roles explain why the chapter gives this nutrient attention. They do not make frequent infections, skin symptoms or a digestive complaint a diagnosis of deficiency by themselves.
Preformed Vitamin A and Carotenoids
| Form | Food Context | The Useful Distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Preformed vitamin A | Animal foods such as liver, eggs, dairy and fish | Includes retinol and retinyl esters. |
| Provitamin A carotenoids | Suitable colorful vegetables and fruit | Require conversion to vitamin A; not every carotenoid converts. |
These chemical categories are described in the NIH vitamin A fact sheet. Conversion and absorption vary. An animal-food source and a carrot therefore do not represent the same form of vitamin A.[2]
Campbell-McBride argues that poor digestion, inadequate supporting nutrients and toxicity make carotenoid conversion particularly difficult for the people she treats. She gives an absorption figure below 5% in that discussion. It is her context-specific argument for animal-food vitamin A, not a measured absorption rate for every reader or vegetable.[1]
Digestion Still Matters With Animal Foods
The book says absorption of preformed vitamin A from dairy, liver and eggs needs bile and pancreatic enzymes. It connects poor fat digestion with vitamin A deficiency in clinical practice. This is why its recommendation is about improving digestion as well as supplying the nutrient.[1]
The bile-and-fat-digestion guide explains the digestive context. Pale or greasy stools are observations to describe accurately, rather than a way to calculate a vitamin A dose at home.
The Book’s Product Preference
The author prefers natural vitamin A in animal foods and cod liver oil over the forms added to many refined products. She describes poor clinical results with various synthetic supplemental forms and makes product processing part of her recommendation.[1]
Preformed vitamin A includes retinyl esters. A chemical name alone does not tell you whether an ingredient was naturally present or added. Prescription retinoid medicines are not interchangeable with food or supplements.[2]
Our family uses Green Pasture fermented cod liver oil. That is our documented product choice, not a claim that we tested every brand or that one product supplies every family’s needs. Our cod liver oil guide explains the label and amount questions.
Breastfeeding and Infant Context
The GAPS chapter emphasizes a mother’s vitamin A reserves and the infant’s supply through milk. It describes lactating women and infants as groups needing particular attention. This is the author’s discussion of maternal and infant nourishment; it does not establish that every breastfeeding mother or infant is deficient.[1]
The chapter cites a WHO report on populations at risk. That citation should not be read as a measured prevalence figure for all Western breastfeeding families. No such percentage is supplied here.
For the practical food route, use our pregnancy-and-breastfeeding guide. A dose for an adult is not automatically a dose for a baby.
How to Read the Overdose Passage
The book acknowledges vitamin A toxicity and gives historical examples expressed in multiples of recommended allowances and teaspoons of cod liver oil. It contrasts these with the much smaller amounts the author recommends and particularly criticizes synthetic fortification.[1]
Those examples are not a universal toxicity threshold for current bottles. The same chapter says individual needs and oil composition vary. Preformed vitamin A can be excessive regardless of its source. Read the vitamin content and total intake; a historical teaspoon example is not an individual safety guarantee.[2]
Keep Vitamins A and D Together
Campbell-McBride describes A and D as partners and recommends considering food and sunlight alongside cod liver oil. The vitamin D guide explains that seasonal pattern, and the supplement overview gives the introduction sequence and full epilepsy oil exception.[1]
The Supplement Introduction Tracker is listed in my WFLI Shop.
Keep the product name, form, serving size and amount together in your notes. They tell you much more than the words “taking vitamin A.”
References
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Cod Liver Oil,” “Vitamin A,” “Vitamins A and D are partners!” and individual/product-dose discussion.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin A and Carotenoids: Health Professional Fact Sheet, chemical forms, physiological roles and excess preformed vitamin A.
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