It is true that fish liver oils such as cod liver oil do contain significant amounts of vitamin A in comparison to most traditional fish oil supplements (from the oil in fish meat) – and this should be of concern when taken with a multivitamin.
R/ The established upper limit for vitamin A for adults is 1500ug according to the Expert Committee on Vitamins and Minerals of the Food Standards Agency published in May 2003. Considering this is calculated on an average of 700µg per day from food this leaves a recommended maximum from supplements of 800ug/day.
The Lamberts Cod Liver Oil contains 800 µg of vitamin A per capsule and so could be taken with a multivitamin low in vitamin A in the retinol form such as Fema 45+; or those which exclude vitamin A such as Multi-Guard ADR; Strongstart MVM; Multi-Guard Control or Maxi Hair.
A number of multivitamin formulas in the Lamberts range do contain a significant dose of vitamin A and so it would not be recommended to take Cod Liver Oil alongside these. In this case we would suggest consideration of Lamberts Fish Oil which contain robust levels of the fish oil active ingredients without running the risk of consuming too much vitamin A.
When calculating the amount of vitamin A you are getting from supplements, note that the upper limit only includes the retinol form, such as retinyl acetate or retinyl palmitate, not beta-carotene.
