Does vitamin A affect blood pressure?

Nobody has tested it directly, as far as we could find. We found no randomized trial of vitamin A itself, the retinol in liver, eggs and supplements, with blood pressure as an outcome. The closest evidence is a 2025 meta-analysis of 19 randomized trials in 1,151 adults, where carotenoid supplements lowered systolic pressure by 2.49 mmHg (95% CI 0.47 to 4.52) and diastolic by 1.60 mmHg (0.47 to 2.73). Carotenoids are a wider family than vitamin A, and only some of them become vitamin A in the body.

Unsettled. The question has no direct answer. The trials tested carotenoid supplements, and the observational studies of vitamin A intake or blood levels point in opposite directions. Until someone runs a trial of vitamin A with blood pressure as the outcome, nobody can say it lowers or raises pressure.

Fall in blood pressure against control, mmHg

Pooled reductions with their 95 percent confidence intervals. These were carotenoid supplements. The trials did not test preformed vitamin A, and from the abstract we cannot tell how much of the effect came from the carotenoids the body turns into vitamin A. Source: card ev-vabp-01 below.

What the trials found

The 2025 carotenoid meta-analysis is the only pooled randomized evidence on blood pressure we found. A fall of about 2.5 mmHg systolic is small for one person and the interval reaches down to under half a millimeter. It applies to carotenoid pills, and it does not tell you what a carrot or a liver meal does.

The other large trials looked at beta-carotene, the main carotenoid the body turns into vitamin A, and they measured deaths rather than pressure. The 2022 evidence review for the US Preventive Services Task Force found that beta-carotene supplements, with or without vitamin A, raised the odds of cardiovascular death by 10 percent across 5 trials in 94,506 people (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.19). In absolute terms the risk difference across those trials ranged from 0.8 percent lower to 0.8 percent higher. A 2022 meta-analysis of 31 trials in 216,734 people found beta-carotene supplements did not prevent death from any cause (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.05).

What beta-carotene supplements did in large trials

Randomized trials

Odds ratios from the USPSTF evidence review and a risk ratio from a 2022 meta-analysis, so the rows are on similar but not identical scales. Many participants in the largest trials were smokers. Sources: cards ev-vabp-02 and ev-vabp-03 below.

Observational studies, pointing both ways

In the China Health and Nutrition Survey, 13,603 adults were followed for a median of 9 years. Those eating the most vitamin A had a 34 percent lower risk of developing two or more cardiometabolic diseases than those eating the least (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.81). Hypertension was one of those diseases. The abstract reports a lower risk for it as well, but gives no separate number.

In 4,184 Iranian adults from the PERSIAN cohort, a link between total vitamin A intake and hypertension disappeared once the analysis adjusted for calories, and retinol showed no link. In 10,031 Malaysian adults from the PURE study, people with hypertension ate less vitamin A, in a comparison that adjusted for nothing. In 500 Italian primary care patients, higher blood levels of vitamin A went with hypertension. Blood levels are tightly regulated by the liver and do not track what people eat well. All four studies are observational, and three of them are snapshots taken at one time.

Who should be careful

The cautions here are about supplements. In the ATBC trial, described by the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 20 mg a day of beta-carotene for 5 to 8 years raised lung cancer and deaths in male smokers, mainly from lung cancer and ischemic heart disease. The USPSTF review found beta-carotene raised lung cancer odds by 20 percent across 4 trials (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.42).

Preformed vitamin A has its own limits. The upper limits set by the US Food and Nutrition Board apply to food and supplements together, at 3,000 mcg RAE a day for adults. Women who are or might be pregnant, and women who are breastfeeding, are advised not to take vitamin A supplements above 3,000 mcg RAE (10,000 IU) a day, because preformed vitamin A can cause birth defects.

Not for everyone. Vitamin A or beta-carotene supplements are not a blood pressure treatment, and nothing we found supports taking them for that. If you smoke, avoid high-dose beta-carotene. If you are or might be pregnant, keep vitamin A supplements at no more than 3,000 mcg RAE a day.

What expert bodies say

We found no expert body position on vitamin A and blood pressure, and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheet on vitamin A has no section on it. The USPSTF evidence review found harm and no benefit from beta-carotene supplements for cardiovascular disease. The NIH fact sheet sets the upper limits and the pregnancy advice described above.

How we searched

Searched: a local copy of PubMed for vitamin A, retinol, beta-carotene, carotenoids or retinoids with blood pressure or hypertension, which returned 488 records, most about single carotenoids or retinol-binding protein. Further searches covered supplementation trials and cardiovascular outcomes (86 records), vitamin A and pre-eclampsia (43) and intake or blood levels with hypertension in cohorts and surveys (82). We also searched the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, a drug and nutrient interaction database, the retraction database and the open web. Search run on 7 October 2026.

Included: one meta-analysis of carotenoid trials on blood pressure, one USPSTF evidence review and one meta-analysis of beta-carotene trials, one cohort and three cross-sectional studies, and two passages of the NIH vitamin A fact sheet. None is retracted.

Excluded: trials of single carotenoids that do not become vitamin A, such as lycopene and astaxanthin, which the meta-analysis above already covers. Studies of retinol-binding protein as a marker. A Spanish cross-sectional study with a null result whose design was recorded inconsistently. Pregnancy micronutrient reviews without a vitamin A and blood pressure result.

What we read: abstracts from PubMed, the full text of the Iranian PERSIAN analysis, and the fact sheet sections.

What we could not get: any randomized trial of retinol or retinyl esters alone with a blood pressure outcome, and the full text of the carotenoid meta-analysis, so we cannot say how much of its effect came from the carotenoids that become vitamin A. We did not search Mendelian randomization studies beyond the main query.

What would change this answer

A randomized trial of preformed vitamin A or beta-carotene, at doses reachable from food, with 24-hour blood pressure as the outcome.
A prospective cohort that reports new hypertension by vitamin A intake, adjusted for total calories.
The carotenoid meta-analysis broken down by carotenoid, to show whether the provitamin A ones behave differently from the rest.

Everything else about vitamin A, including how much you need and where it comes from: Vitamin A.

The rest of the nutrient, in one place. Vitamin A: the supplement that increased cancer in a randomized trial → What it does, how much you need, who runs short, and what too much does, with the evidence level shown on every line.

The full guide

Vitamin A: the supplement that increased cancer in a randomized trial

The same question for other foods (blood pressure)

Sources

ev-vabp-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of RCTs (GRADE) · n = 1151
Carotenoid supplementation significantly reduced the systolic BP (SBP) (WMD, -2.492 mmHg; 95%CI, -4.52, -0.47; P = 0.016) and diastolic BP (DBP) (WMD, -1.60 mmHg; 95%CI, -2.73, -0.47; P = 0.005).
Who: adults in RCTs of carotenoid supplements, search to October 2023
Effect: SBP WMD -2.49 mmHg (95% CI -4.52 to -0.47); DBP WMD -1.60 mmHg (-2.73 to -0.47); larger in people with SBP >= 130 and at doses > 10 mg
Certainty: Carotenoids overall, not retinol; the carotenoid breakdown is not given in the abstract.
Nutr Rev, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
ev-vabp-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic evidence review for the USPSTF with pooled analyses · n = 94506
Beta carotene (with or without vitamin A) was significantly associated with an increased risk of lung cancer (OR, 1.20 [95% CI, 1.01-1.42]; 4 RCTs [n=94 830]; ARD range, -0.1% to 0.6%) and cardiovascular mortality (OR, 1.10 [95% CI, 1.02-1.19]; 5 RCTs [n=94 506] ARD range, -0.8% to 0.8%).
Who: adults without cardiovascular disease, cancer or known deficiency, in RCTs of beta-carotene with or without vitamin A
Effect: cardiovascular mortality OR 1.10 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.19); lung cancer OR 1.20 (1.01 to 1.42)
Certainty: High-dose supplements, largely in smokers (ATBC, CARET); not transferable to food.
JAMA, 2022 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
ev-vabp-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 216734
In a random-effects meta-analysis of all 31 trials, beta-carotene supplements were found to have no preventive effect on mortality (risk ratio 1.02, 95% confidence interval 0.98-1.05, I 2 = 42%).
Who: adults with any health condition in RCTs of beta-carotene vs placebo or no intervention
Effect: all-cause mortality RR 1.02 (95% CI 0.98 to 1.05); no effect on cardiovascular mortality; lung cancer mortality RR 1.14 (1.02 to 1.27)
Certainty: About mortality, not blood pressure; shows that beta-carotene supplements do not help the heart.
Front Med (Lausanne), 2022 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
ev-vabp-04 · Observational data · prospective cohort · n = 13603
The risk of CMM was significantly lower in those with higher vitamin A intake (Q1 vs Q5 HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.54-0.81).
Who: Chinese adults aged 18 and over, CHNS 1997 to 2015; intake from 3-day 24-hour recalls plus household inventory
Effect: cardiometabolic multimorbidity HR 0.66 (95% CI 0.54 to 0.81) Q5 vs Q1; retinol HR 0.59 (0.48 to 0.73); L-shaped curve for retinol; inverse associations also for hypertension
Certainty: Observational; the outcome is multimorbidity, blood pressure not given as a separate number in the abstract.
Sci Rep, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
ev-vabp-05 · Observational data · cross-sectional analysis of cohort baseline · n = 4184
However, no significant link was observed between HTN and total intake of vitamin A after adjusting for calorie intake.
Who: adults in Sabzevar, Iran (PERSIAN cohort baseline), 1239 with hypertension and 2945 normotensive
Effect: total vitamin A OR 1.03 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.05), beta-carotene OR 1.03 (1.02 to 1.05) after age and sex adjustment; vitamin A null after energy adjustment; retinol null
Certainty: Cross-sectional; the effect is negligible and disappears with adjustment for energy, probably a marker of eating more.
Cardiovasc Endocrinol Metab, 2024, Does dietary intake of vitamin A and beta-carotene increase the risk of hypertension? · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
ev-vabp-06 · Observational data · cross-sectional analysis of cohort baseline · n = 10031
The intake of vitamins A, B6, B9, B12, E, and K was significantly lower among patients with HPT compared to those without HPT (p-value < 0.001).
Who: Malaysian adults, PURE cohort baseline; intake by validated FFQ
Effect: hypertension prevalence 43.5%; vitamins A, B6, B9, B12, E and K intake lower with hypertension (p < 0.001, Mann-Whitney)
Certainty: Without adjustment for confounders; the direction is opposite to PERSIAN: the data are inconsistent.
Sci Rep, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
ev-vabp-07 · Observational data · multicentre cross-sectional study · n = 500
Notably, elevated vitamin A levels were significantly associated with arterial hypertension (p = 0.005), diabetes mellitus (p = 0.036), and cancer (p = 0.010).
Who: adults attending 21 Italian general practices, 2021 to 2024; median age 60.7
Effect: elevated serum vitamin A associated with arterial hypertension (p = 0.005), diabetes and cancer
Certainty: Serum level (regulated by the liver, depends on kidneys), not intake; small sample.
Nutrients, 2026 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
ev-vabp-08 · Position of an expert body · government fact sheet · n = —
Experts advise women who are or might be pregnant and those who are lactating not to take high doses (more than 3,000 mcg RAE [10,000 IU] daily) of vitamin A supplements [1].
Who: women who are or might be pregnant and lactating women
Effect: avoid more than 3,000 mcg RAE (10,000 IU) daily from supplements; beta-carotene not known to be teratogenic
Certainty: Axis 6: vitamin A supplements "for blood pressure" have no basis, and in pregnancy they carry risk.
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin A and Carotenoids Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
ev-vabp-09 · Position of an expert body · government fact sheet summarizing RCTs · n = —
However, the ATBC trial found that supplementation with a large amount of beta-carotene (20 mg/day), with or without 50 mg/day vitamin E, for 5–8 years increased the risk of lung cancer and mortality (mainly from lung cancer and ischemic heart disease) in male smokers [70].
Who: male smokers in the ATBC trial
Effect: increased lung cancer and mortality (lung cancer and ischemic heart disease) with 20 mg/day beta-carotene
Certainty: Smokers; the dose is 3-4 times higher than typical from food.
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin A and Carotenoids Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
ev-vabp-10 · Position of an expert body · government fact sheet · n = —
The FNB has established ULs for preformed vitamin A that apply to both food and supplement intakes [5].
Who: general population
Effect: ULs for preformed vitamin A cover food plus supplements (adult UL 3,000 mcg RAE)
Certainty: The limit applies to retinol (liver, supplements, retinoids), not to beta-carotene.
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin A and Carotenoids Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section

How this page was made. Evidence was extracted from primary sources into cards, every number was re-checked against the source, and the text was written from those cards. Bioma Learn has no human medical reviewer at this time, and we say so rather than invent one. Methodology. This is information, not medical advice.