But getting an overload of vitamins and minerals routinely can hurt you. Too much vitamin C or zinc can cause nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Too much selenium can lead to hair loss, gastrointestinal disorders, fatigue, and mild nerve damage. Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the body, and getting enough is critical to health and well-being, offering the promise of protecting bones and preventing bone diseases such as osteoporosis.
Supplemental vitamin D is popular because it is difficult (if not impossible) to get enough from food. In addition, as noted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), our bodies produce vitamin D when bare skin is exposed to sunlight, but increased time spent indoors and widespread use of sunscreen have minimized the amount of vitamin D that many of us get from sun exposure. Calcium is essential for strong bones and a healthy heart, but too much is not good. In fact, excess calcium, which the NIH describes as more than 2,500 mg per day for adults ages 19 to 50, and more than 2,000 mg per day for people age 51 and older, can cause problems.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, “researchers believe that without adequate vitamin D to help absorb it, extra calcium is deposited in the arteries rather than in the bones. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends 1,000 mg of calcium daily for women ages 19 to 50 and 1,200 mg daily for women age 51 and older. The recommendation for men aged 19 to 70 years is 1000 mg per day and 1200 mg daily for men age 71 and older. UU.
(USDA), 6 ounces of low-fat plain yogurt contains about 311 mg of calcium, a little less than a third of the daily recommendations. Other good sources of calcium include tofu, skim milk, cheese, fortified cereals, and juices. A surprising study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, which examined data from nearly 40,000 women over 19 years, found that, on average, women who took supplements had a higher risk of dying compared to women who did not take supplements. Multivitamins also did little or nothing to protect against common cancers, cardiovascular disease, or death.
Jessica Cording, a research and development company based in New York. This is not a cause for immediate alarm. If you accidentally take two of your multivitamins on the same day, don't panic, it should be fine. It's more about taking too much supplement on a consistent basis, even if it's something like calcium that you know is key to your health.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that while calcium-rich foods may help protect heart health, calcium supplements may increase the risk of plaque buildup in the arteries, leading to heart damage. Beyond that, there are other common supplements that experts say can be risky if you take too much. Like calcium, potassium supplement overload is potentially problematic for your heart. The mineral plays a role in regulating the heartbeat, and taking too much of it can cause heart problems, says Cording.
Vitamin A is another example of a seemingly excellent supplement that can wreak havoc on your body. While it can help maintain healthy vision and immune system, vitamin A toxicity can lead to hair loss, bone loss, confusion, and even liver failure, says Rumsey. Unlike water-soluble types such as vitamins B and C, which you normally urinate if there is excess in your system, vitamin A is stored in body fat. Iron and zinc can easily accumulate in your body and cause various problems, experts explain.
While the symptoms of overdoing it with a supplement vary by vitamin or mineral, Cording says digestive problems are often the first sign that something is wrong, but people may also experience nausea, vomiting, seizures, or rapid heartbeat. If you notice any of these symptoms and suspect that you may have taken too much of a supplement, stop taking it immediately and call your doctor. In fact, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor before taking any type of supplement. Even if you don't take any medicine and you're in good health, your doctor can do a blood test to determine if you really need to take any supplements, Cording notes.
SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting a healthcare professional. Vitamins and minerals are essential for good health, but a person can take too much. Just as a person can overeat sugar or drink excessive amounts of water, a person can also take too many supplements.
Taking too many vitamins, minerals, and supplements can be hazardous to health. For example, high doses of vitamin B can cause hip fractures, says study. People should always check the dose of each supplement taken. Once the human body uses the vitamins and minerals it needs, the rest is excreted or stored.
As a natural progression of aging, the kidneys do not filter as well, so it would not be wise to take more than the recommended daily allowance of dietary supplements. A sudden increase in vitamin K through diet or supplement may decrease the effectiveness of blood thinners. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is not authorized to review dietary supplements for safety and efficacy before they are marketed. In other words, the regulation of dietary supplements is much less strict than for prescription or over-the-counter drugs.
You should also use any new supplements your doctor or pharmacist is considering before adding them to your regimen. While most supplement bottles provide recommendations for how much vitamin should be taken per day, needs may vary from person to person. If used correctly, some supplements may improve your health, but others may be ineffective or even harmful. In addition, the data showed that people who ingested adequate amounts of magnesium, zinc, and vitamins A and K had a lower risk of death, but only if they got those nutrients from food instead of supplements.
When it comes to supplements, there is so much enthusiasm about their potential benefits that it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. For example, vitamin D deficiencies are often treated with high-dose vitamin D injections or supplements that provide more than 50,000 IU of vitamin D, which is much more than the UL (2.Similarly, since many of today's foods are fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, it's important to check if you even need to take supplements. . .
