Can Vitamins Be Too Much of a Good Thing?

A 2017 shopper survey discovered that 76 p.c of Individuals take dietary dietary supplements and nutritional vitamins, up from 64 p.c in 2008. However taking too many – particularly if you happen to aren’t certain you will have a vitamin deficiency — can result in vitamin toxicity. And a few nutritional vitamins are extra harmful than others as a result of not all nutritional vitamins are absorbed by the physique in the identical method.

Vitamin deficiencies could be severe, inflicting illnesses reminiscent of osteoporosis and anemia. A vitamin D deficiency can worsen problems from COVID-19. However docs are seeing an uptick in sufferers who’re creating toxicity from taking extra vitamin dietary supplements than wanted.

Fats-Soluble vs. Water-Soluble Nutritional vitamins: What’s the Distinction?

Nutritional vitamins are divided into two sorts: fats soluble and water soluble.

The fat-soluble nutritional vitamins – reminiscent of nutritional vitamins A and D – are absorbed by the intestine and delivered by means of the blood to totally different areas of the physique the place they’re wanted. The surplus is then saved in your liver and different fatty tissues. These nutritional vitamins can stay in your system for up to six months, accumulating and probably reaching poisonous ranges.

The water-soluble nutritional vitamins — reminiscent of vitamin C — journey in your bloodstream and exchange any deficiencies. Your physique absorbs what it wants and eliminates any extra by means of urine.

Indicators of Elevated Vitamin Consumption:

• Vitamin A (fat-soluble): An excessive amount of could cause hypervitaminosis A, signs of which can embody blurry imaginative and prescient, bone ache, decreased urge for food, liver illness, excessive calcium ranges and osteoporosis.

• Vitamin D (fat-soluble): Excessive ranges can result in hypervitaminosis D, which might trigger over-calcification of the bones and mushy tissues reminiscent of the center and kidneys. Different signs are diarrhea, kidney stones, dehydration, constipation, fatigue, muscle weak point and decreased urge for food.

• Vitamin B3, or niacin (water-soluble): In regular ranges, this vitamin prevents pellagra, a illness marked by pores and skin irritation, diarrhea, dementia and mouth sores. However an excessive amount of of this vitamin could cause liver injury, elevated blood sugar and decrease blood platelets.

• Vitamin B6 (water-soluble): This vitamin can stop anemia and peripheral neuropathy, however doses of greater than 100 mg aday could cause nerve injury.

• Vitamin C (water-soluble): Poisonous ranges of this vitamin could cause abdomen ache, diarrhea and flatulence.

Effectively-Balanced Food plan Supplies Vitamins

Questioning if you happen to can overdose on vitamin consumption from eating regimen alone? The excellent news is that consuming a balanced eating regimen wealthy in fruits, greens, complete grains and proteins will provide your body with adequate levels of every major vitamin. It’s extremely unlikely your eating regimen will lead to vitamin toxicity until you’re consuming numerous fortified meals or protein shakes with added nutritional vitamins.

Over-the-counter multivitamins usually comply with the FDA’s really useful each day allowances for nutritional vitamins and minerals, not like vitamin-specific dietary supplements, which regularly include increased doses.

Bloodwork Reveals Deficiencies

To forestall vitamin toxicity, sufferers ought to go to their major care physician to find out if they honestly have a deficiency to right and which dietary supplements might safely profit them.

A blood take a look at will measure your vitamin ranges and make sure you don’t have any underlying deficiencies. Sufferers with a historical past of bariatric surgical procedures, irritable bowel illness (IBS), pancreatic points and different GI tract sicknesses must pay specific consideration to vitamin deficiencies.

When selecting nutritional vitamins on the retailer, first seek the advice of the fact sheets with the recommended daily guidelines for dietary dietary supplements from the Nationwide Institutes of Well being. Suggestions can differ primarily based on components reminiscent of age and gender.

When you’re wholesome and consuming a well-balanced eating regimen, the physique will soak up the vitamins it wants.