Vitamins, supplements have no added health benefits, study contends. A new report says taking supplements could be a waste of money and may even be harmful to your health.
According to Nutritionists, These Are the 7 Ingredients Your Multivitamin Should Have
- Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps our bodies absorb calcium, which is important for bone health.
- Magnesium. Magnesium is an essential nutrient, which means that we must get it from food or supplements.
- Calcium.
- Zinc.
- Iron.
- Folate.
- Vitamin B-12.
Taken in appropriate doses, vitamin D is generally considered safe. However, taking too much vitamin D in the form of supplements can be harmful. Children age 9 years and older, adults, and pregnant and breastfeeding women who take more than 4,000 IU a day of vitamin D might experience: Nausea and vomiting.
Mayo Clinic recommends that adults get at least the RDA of 600 IU. However, 1,000 to 2,000 IU per day of vitamin D from a supplement is generally safe, should help people achieve an adequate blood level of vitamin D, and may have additional health benefits.
Vitamin D lowers one kind of inflammation, which has been linked to suicide. Many parts of the brain, including those involved with depression, contain receptors for Vitamin D. It may increase the available serotonin, the way the SSRIs do.
Bottom Line: The safe upper limit of intake is set at 4000 IU/day. Intake in the range of 40,000–100,000 IU/day (10-25 times the recommended upper limit) has been linked with toxicity in humans.
Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can include
muscle weakness, pain, fatigue and depression.
Can you ever have too much vitamin D?
- Nausea.
- Increased thirst and urination.
- Poor appetite.
- Constipation.
- Weakness.
- Confusion.
- Ataxia (a neurological condition that may cause slurring of words and stumbling).
Daily vitamin D was more effective than weekly, and monthly administration was the least effective.
Taking too many vitamin D supplements over a long period of time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body (hypercalcaemia). This can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and the heart. If you choose to take vitamin D supplements, 10 micrograms a day will be enough for most people.
Some factors that may reduce or block its absorption include: Conditions such as celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, and cystic fibrosis. These can all affect the intestines, preventing them from absorbing vitamin D found in food. BMI (body mass index) higher than 30.
Research links vitamin D levels to sleep quality. In fact, several studies associate low levels of vitamin D in your blood to a higher risk of sleep disturbances, poorer sleep quality and reduced sleep duration ( 9 , 10 , 11 ).
The current daily recommended amount of vitamin D is 600 IU per day for adults under the age of 70, and 800 IU for older adults. Up to 4,000 IU per day is generally considered the safe upper limit, however, doses up to 10,000 IU/day have not been shown to cause toxicity.
The Endocrine Society Practice Guidelines recommend that up to 10,000 IUs daily was safe for adults. This is in contrast to the recommended UL at 4,000 IU/d from the IOM.
Simply adding an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement can make improvements in just three to four months' time.
Conclusions: Vitamin D3 therapy (50,000-100,000 IU/week) was safe and effective when given for 12 months to reverse statin intolerance in patients with vitamin D deficiency. Serum vitamin D rarely exceeded 100 ng/mL, never reached toxic levels, and there were no significant change in serum calcium or eGFR.
For people with a severe vitamin D deficiency confirmed in blood tests, some health care providers are prescribing a mega-dose: 50,000 IU vitamin D taken once a week for six to eight weeks. As we age, we become less physical and more stiff.
Conclusions: High-dose oral Vitamin D3, 5000 IU/day was safe and well tolerated in subjects with epilepsy. Vitamin D levels increased significantly at 6 and 12 weeks but never exceeded potentially toxic levels, defined as >100 ng/ml.
Vitamin D recommended intake is at 400–800 IU/day or 10–20 micrograms. However, some studies suggest that a higher daily intake of 1,000–4,000 IU (25–100 micrograms) is needed to maintain optimal blood levels.
Vitamin D2 and D3 50000 IU are available with a prescription. Vitamin D2 and D3 400 – 5000 IU are available over-the-counter (OTC).
Some people may need a higher dose, however, including those with a bone health disorder and those with a condition that interferes with the absorption of vitamin D or calcium, says Dr. Manson. Unless your doctor recommends it, avoid taking more than 4,000 IU per day, which is considered the safe upper limit.
There are two possible forms of vitamin D in the human body: vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. Both D2 and D3 are simply called “vitamin D,†so there's no meaningful difference between vitamin D3 and just vitamin D.
The Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board's old 1997 recommendations suggested that 2,000 IU per day of vitamin D is safe for adults and that 1,000 IU per day is safe for infants up to 12 months of age.
The current recommendations suggest consuming 400–800 IU (10–20 mcg) of vitamin D per day. However, people who need more vitamin D can safely consume 1,000–4,000 IU (25–100 mcg) daily. Consuming more than this is not advised, as it is not linked to any extra health benefits.
Below are the 6 main side effects of too much vitamin D.
- Elevated blood levels.
- Elevated blood calcium levels.
- Nausea, vomiting, and poor appetite.
- Stomach pain, constipation, or diarrhea.
- Bone loss.
- Kidney failure.
