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The international unit (IU) has been used to measure fat-soluble vitamins\u2014vitamin A, D and E\u2014for decades. The IU is an arbitrary amount based on the amount of a given nutrient needed to produce a biological effect. Different than milligram or microgram, the IU measurement describes something that we cannot see; the potency or biological activity of a product. While IU seemed to be an innovative idea during the time it was introduced, many would agree that this IU system is now outdated.<\/p>\n
In the new regulation for the nutrition facts label, FDA is replacing the unit \u201cIU\u201d for vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin E with the metric unit. The unit for vitamin A will be changed to micrograms of retinol activity equivalents (mcg RAE), milligram of alpha-tocopherol (mg) for vitamin E while Vitamin D will be changed to microgram, while the IU reading for Vitamin D could be displayed in parentheses. This regulation will come into effect on Jan. 1, 2020 for companies with US$10 million or more in annual\u00a0sales; and Jan 1, 2021 for companies with less than $10 million in annual sales. It is expected that other countries will follow this new regulation as well to standardize the labelling system. This new supplement\/ nutrition facts label hopefully will help consumers to make a better decision in terms of choosing the right vitamin A and vitamin E for their daily consumption.<\/p>\n
Vitamin A<\/strong><\/p>\n Vitamin A is essential vitamin for healthy vision and cellular communication. There are two main ways to obtain vitamin A in the diet, through:<\/p>\n (1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 retinols from animal sources and dairy products;<\/p>\n (2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 pro-vitamin A carotenoid from plant.<\/p>\n Both retinols and pro-vitamin A carotenoid are metabolized in the body into the active form of vitamin A, retinoic acid. However, retinols and pro-vitamin A carotenoid differ in their bioactivities. As an example, it takes different amount of IU from retinol, beta-carotene from food, beta-carotene from supplement or alpha-carotene to make 1 microgram of retinoic acid.<\/p>\n Therefore, it is vital for consumers to check the source and forms of vitamin A to ensure they get sufficient vitamin A according to the recommended dietary intake (RDI). The RDI of the vitamin A has also changed from 5,000 IU (equivalent to 1,500 mcg RAE) to 900 mcg RAE for males and 700 mcg RAE for females respectively.<\/p>\n The conversion of unit of vitamin A from IU to the metric unit, mcg RAE, will take into account the differences in vitamin A activity between retinols and pro-vitamin A carotenoid. In the new unit, 1 RAE will equal to 1 mcg retinol, 12 mcg beta-carotene, 24 mcg alpha-carotene or 24 mcg beta-cryptoxanthin. Hence, the change of IU to mcg RAE for vitamin A is welcomed as this will reflect the actual or reality of vitamin A activity of its different forms\u2014retinol and pro-vitamin A carotenoid.<\/p>\n