Ep. 119: Vitamin A Toxicity: Examining the Evidence for Vitamin A Deficiency

The Energy Balance Podcast

In this episode we discuss:

• Whether vitamin A toxicity exists and is something you need to be worried about
• Whether Grant Genereux’s claims about vitamin A deficiency are valid
• Whether vitamin A is actually a poison rather than a vitamin
• What we think about the current state of the Ray Peat forum
• The research on vitamin A deficiencies and whether vitamin A deficiencies exist

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The Nutrition Blueprint: https://mikefave.com/the-nutrition-blueprint/

Click here to check out the show notes: https://www.jayfeldmanwellness.com/ep-119-vitamin-a-toxicity-examining-the-evidence-for-vitamin-a-deficiency

Timestamps:

0:00 – intro

1:09 – why we’re discussing vitamin A toxicity and Grant Genereux’s perspective

4:53 – closedmindedness within the “low vitamin A” sphere and how it compares to Ray Peat’s work

7:33 – how a low vitamin A diet can have benefits

9:27 – cautioning against the idea of "detox" as an excuse for negative effects and vitamin A toxicity as an unfalsifiable hypothesis

12:33 – the importance of evaluating information objectively while avoiding censorship, tribalism, fearmongering, and religiosity

21:17 – concerns with the current state of the Ray Peat Forum and how to recognize unsubstantiated claims

26:45 – Grant's initial critiques of the original studies on vitamin A deficiency are extremely weak and unsubstantiated

41:48 – introducing Wolbach’s 1925 study on vitamin A deficiency

45:47 – refuting Grant's argument that the retinoic acid in the vitamin-free casein would have caused toxicity

52:35 – refuting Grant's argument regarding confounding variables in lard and butter

1:02:53 – research on vitamin A deficiency and whether vitamin A deficiencies exist

1:20:32 – the necessity of vitamin A for pregnancy, fetal growth, and development