Alpha-Carotene is a precursor to creating vitamin A in the body, and while important, is far less common than beta-carotene.

Like beta-carotene, alpha-carotene is fat-soluble and therefore needs to be consumed with fat to be absorbed.

For every 24mcg of alpha-carotene you consume, you create 1mcg of vitamin A retinol activity equivalents (RAE). (1) The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin A is 900mcg of retinol activity equivalents (RAEs). While it would be unlikely to attain all your vitamin A from alpha-carotene, we calculate the daily intake target of alpha-carotene to be 24 times the amount of vitamin A (per the conversion to retinol equivalents). Thus the recommended dietary allowance for alpha-carotene is 900mcg x 24 or 21600mcg per day.

Again, you do not actually have to worry about meeting the RDA as beta-carotene, and vitamin A both contribute to the RDA, and the calculated RDA is intended as a guide to compare foods.

Foods high in alpha-carotene include orange vegetables like pumpkin, carrots, and winter squash. Other alpha-carotene food sources include tangerines, tomatoes, collards, napa cabbage, sweet potatoes, avocados, and bananas. Below are the top 10 foods highest in alpha-carotene, for more, see the nutrient ranking of foods high in alpha-carotene.