- Home |
- Blog |
- Contact Us
Vitamin D Toxicity
|
|
Are concerns about vitamin D toxicity valid? This article examines this issue and provides you with information you may need to know.... by M. Daniels, who has been professionally writing and editing technical non-fiction articles and publications for over 3 decades. |
To put this issue in perspective the comments
of a doctor who has specialized in studying this vitamin may be of
interest: Dr. John Cannell concluded:
"worrying about vitamin D toxicity is
like worrying about drowning when you're dying of thirst." from [The Truth About Vitamin D Toxicity, published on the Vitamin D Council website]
The Symptoms Of Vitamin D Overdose
In fact, there are several symptoms which may be early signs of a vitamin D overdose, or simply a side effect for people who are intolerant to supplements. Those that have been identified are:
- Bone pain
- Constipation (especially in children or adolescents)
- Diarrhea *
- Drowsiness *
- Dryness of mouth
- Headache (continuing) *
- Increased thirst *
- Increase in frequency of urination, especially at night, or in amount of urine
- Irregular heartbeat
- Itching skin
- Loss of appetite
- Metallic taste
- Muscle pain
- Nausea or vomiting (especially in children or adolescents) *
- Unusual tiredness or weakness *
If you experience these symptoms together and/or repeatedly they may result from vitamin D toxicity. The prudent thing to do would be to suspend using Vitamin D or calcium supplements, stay out of sunlight and consult your doctor and tell him that you have been taking Vitamin D and how much.
The Upper Limit of Vitamin D Tolerance
Government agencies have established what they call the 'Tolerable Upper Limit' (TUL) dosage for vitamin d supplements, (It may also be named 'safe upper limit'). This is in their view the maximum amount which healthy people can use for long periods of time without experiencing any undesirable effects.
As of February, 2011 the US Office of Dietary Supplements states the Vitamin D TUL for all people over 9 years old is
4000 IU (100mcg) daily,
however, there is no unanimous agreement that this is valid. Many
experts have amassed a large amount of research about However
there has been research into Vitamin D which leads these specialists to
argue that this maximum limit should actually be the Recommended Daily
Allowance (RDA) instead.
An article called "The Pharmacology of
Vitamin D, Including Fortification Strategies" reports that " ... despite 70 years of
experience with the use of super-physiological amounts of
vitamin D, there has never been a report of a sudden
excess of vitamin D ...", that "Toxicity in normal adults requires intake of
more than 1000 mcg/day (40,000 IU/day), which reflects
amounts of vitamin D that are four times more than the
250 mcg/day can be acquired naturally by sunshine" and, perhaps most importantly that "If a consumer wanted to
achieve [a] toxic dose, he or she would need to take forty
of the 1000 unit pills (the highest dose available in North
America without a prescription) every day for many
months".
In another study reported in the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, reported that review by that journal using the same methods
which the Food and Nutrition Board uses to assess risk concluted:
"that the UL (safe upper limit) for vitamin D consumption by adults should be 10,000 IU per day" and this implies that adults could comsum more than 10 times the amount which was currently recommended without any risk.
-Vieth et al, 'The urgent need to recommend an intake of vitamin D that is effective'
There is a further study of pregnant women were given 100,000 International Units (IUs) per day (ten times the TUL) for their entire pregnancy and this lead to the conclustion that "... there is no evidence in humans that even a 100,000 IU/d dose of vitamin D for extended periods during pregnancy results in any harmful effects."
Sunshine Risks
Since we manufacture our own vitamin D from sunshine it is important to note that there have been no reports of Vitamin D toxicity from too much sunshine.
The body automatically prevents too much Vitamin D from being made
through the skin. As the skin gets darker through tanning,
vitamin D production stops. Of course there are other reasons to limit
your exposure to the sun, but getting too much vitamin D is not one.
If there is any likelyhood of overdosing is is most likely to come
from overusing supplements far in excess of recommended limits.
Tips and Advice
- People who work at nights, who are continually indoors, or wear clothing which limits skin exposure to sun are likely to need a supplement to get sufficient vitamin D.
- Users of anticonvulsive drugs may need a supplement of vitamin D.
- Dark skinned people living in far northern or southern latitudes
may need supplements of vitamin D.
- To get best use of Vitamin D vitamins A and C, together with choline, calcium and phosphorus are recommended.
Do You Have A Great Story About This ?
You know that it's great to learn about new advances in health, and better ways that scientists and researchers are developing for us to live better, but what really drives the point home--helps us to appreciate these things more that personal stories and experiences?
If you (or someone close to you) has had personal experience with what you've been reading about on this page, why not add your story to the record? We'd love to hear from you and if you provide us with enough information we'll dedicate an entire page to your report, giving you full credit for it. If your story isn't enough for a full aricle, we'll save it to be included in a composite article together with others which we receive.
What you see on Nutritional Supplements Information is just a sample
of what's available for you in our Secrets of Natural Healthy Living. Check it out now!
Much more than Vitamin D Toxicity discussed back on the home page
N-S-I is a free publication made possible through your voluntary support of products and services which have links on this website. See Revenue & Support for details.
Copyright © Nutritional-Supplements-Information.com All rights reserved.
