What type of unit is iu

So for fat-soluble vitamins , certain hormones and some enzymes, the recommended daily dosage and commercially available supplements are all usually labeled with IU. The fat-soluble vitamins you'll typically see labeled with IU, and their recommended daily intake for adults, is:.

Other vitamins, such as vitamin C , are measured in milligrams, or mg, because they don't require the additional standardization imposed by the IU unit. Vitamins that are usually present or consumed in very small quantities, such as vitamin B12, are measured in micrograms.

As Dr. William C. Shiel Jr. But, every once in a while, you might find yourself in a position to convert between the IU measurement and milligrams, micrograms or grams. To make those calculations, you need to know which form of the vitamin you're dealing with and the appropriate conversion factor. If you're converting from IU to weight mcg, mg or g , you'll divide by the conversion factor. If you're converting from weight to IU, you'll multiply by the conversion factor.

For example, if you're dealing with vitamin A as retinol, the appropriate conversion factor is 3. If you have 8, IU of vitamin A and want to know what that is in weight, you'd use a table or an online search to look up the appropriate conversion factor 3. Then you'd divide the quantity of IU by the conversion factor:. But don't forget: Different forms of the same vitamin won't have identical conversion factors.

If you're dealing with vitamin A as beta-carotene, the conversion factor is 1. Once you do the math, this gives you:. Types of Cancer Treatment. Side Effects of Cancer Treatment. Clinical Trials Information. A to Z List of Cancer Drugs. Questions to Ask about Your Treatment. Feelings and Cancer. Adjusting to Cancer. Day-to-Day Life. Support for Caregivers. Questions to Ask About Cancer. Choices for Care. Talking about Your Advanced Cancer.

Planning for Advanced Cancer. Advanced Cancer and Caregivers. Questions to Ask about Advanced Cancer. Managing Cancer Care. Finding Health Care Services. Advance Directives. Using Trusted Resources. Coronavirus Information for Patients. Clinical Trials during Coronavirus. Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer. Emotional Support for Young People with Cancer. Cancers by Body Location. Late Effects of Childhood Cancer Treatment. Pediatric Supportive Care. Rare Cancers of Childhood Treatment.

Childhood Cancer Genomics. Study Findings. Metastatic Cancer Research. Intramural Research. Extramural Research. Cancer Research Workforce. Partners in Cancer Research. What Are Cancer Research Studies. Research Studies. Get Involved. Cancer Biology Research. Cancer Genomics Research. Research on Causes of Cancer. Cancer Prevention Research. Cancer Treatment Research. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.

Top of the page. Topic Overview Lab test results usually contain some type of unit of measurement. Units of measurement that may be used for lab test results include: Femtolitres. Grams g. Micrograms mcg. Microlitres mcL.