I like to eat canned pumkin. My concern is the level of Vitamin A.

Hi Pam Cobo,

What I am going to tell you will probably cause you to ask more questions than give you any answers, but this is what I found.

Vitamin A is found in foods that come from animals such as whole eggs, milk, and liver. It is absorbed in the form of Retinol one of the most usable (active) forms of vitamin A.  Vitamin A in foods that come from animals is well absorbed and used efficiently by the body.

Vitamin A that is found in colorful fruits and vegetables is called provitamin A carotenoid. They can be made into retinol in the body. Vitamin A in foods that come from plants is not as well absorbed as animal sources of vitamin A.

So my thinking is, if the Vitamin A from pumpkin is not absorbed well, you might be ok in eating pumpkin and not be at risk of too much Vitamin A. But the best thing to do is take everything in moderation, even things that are good for you, and ask your doctor to be sure.

There is also an interesting sharepost by David Mendosa here about vitamins and diabetes. The accompanying comments might have some information you find interesting.

While online sites are great for giving you information that will help you ask all the right questions, they can not take the place of your doctor's solid medical advice.

Good luck and stay in otuch, let us know how you are doing!

Vicki M