Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate vs beta-carotene) and healthy aging
What 3 graded rows on vitamin a (retinyl palmitate vs beta-carotene) agree on for healthy aging, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.
Consensus finder Rows from the Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate vs beta-carotene) page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides
What the rows agree on
Each block and row is one graded row from the Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate vs beta-carotene) page, with its PubMed record.
Your question
Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate vs beta-carotene) and healthy aging
3 rows · 51,650 peopleMostly a worse outcome: 2 of 3 rows, and most of the people. 1 found no difference.
- BGrade B× 2
- CGrade C× 1
- Rows
- 3
- Trials
- 3
- People
- 51,650
Where they differ
From the rowsThe best-graded row, grade B, is a randomized trial of 29,133 people (1994) and found a worse outcome.
The 2 rows that found a worse outcome were larger: a median of 23,724 people, against 4,203 people for the row that found no difference.
Only the 2 rows that found a worse outcome name men in their population.
The row that found no difference is newer (2013) than the 2 rows that found a worse outcome (1994 to 1996).
The best grade is B among the rows that found a worse outcome, and C among the row that found no difference.
The rows
1 no difference · 2 worse- BGrade BHarms in male smokers with beta-carotene (ATBC) · Worse
RCT · n 29,133 · 1994 · Male smokers aged 50 to 69 in southwestern Finland
20 mg beta carotene per day · 5 to 8 years
Lung cancer incidence was 18% higher with beta carotene (95% CI 3 to 36 percent), and total mortality was 8% higher, mainly from lung cancer and ischemic heart disease.
Row on the Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate vs beta-carotene) page · PubMed 8127329 (opens PubMed)
- BGrade BHarms in smokers and asbestos-exposed workers (CARET) · Worse
RCT · n 18,314 · 1996 · Smokers, former smokers and workers exposed to asbestos
30 mg beta carotene plus 25,000 IU retinol (as retinyl palmitate) daily · Mean follow-up 4.0 years
Lung cancer risk rose (RR 1.28; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.57), as did death from any cause (RR 1.17) and from lung cancer (RR 1.46). The trial was stopped 21 months early.
Row on the Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate vs beta-carotene) page · PubMed 8602180 (opens PubMed)
- CGrade CEye-condition progression when beta-carotene is removed from the AREDS formula · No difference
RCT · n 4,203 · 2013 · Adults aged 50 to 85 at risk of progression to advanced AMD (AREDS2)
AREDS formulation variants; lutein 10 mg + zeaxanthin 2 mg in some arms · Median follow-up 5 years
Removing beta carotene had no apparent effect on progression to advanced AMD. More lung cancers occurred with beta carotene than without (2.0% vs 0.9%), mostly in former smokers.
Row on the Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate vs beta-carotene) page · PubMed 23644932 (opens PubMed)