Caution : Vitamin Overuse.

1. Vitamin Overdoses: Side Effects of Vitamin Overuse

Last Modified: July 21, 2010

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Although taking a multivitamin can play a vital role in promoting your overall health, as with any substance, taking more than the recommended amount can cause mild to severe health problems. While some people overdose on vitamins by taking too many supplements, others may ingest excessive amounts of certain nutrients by eating nutritious foods and also taking supplements.

Similarly, some individuals may have unique vitamin and mineral needs that fall below the traditional nutrient recommendations set forth by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For example, certain chronic and/or passing health conditions can reduce the amount of particular vitamins that a person needs. In such cases, these people are at a higher risk of experiencing vitamin toxicity.

Symptoms of Vitamins Overdoses

The following are some of the most common symptoms associated with vitamin overuse:

• diarrhea
• general fatigue
• hair loss
• headaches
• insomnia
• joint pain
• nausea
• vomiting.

Overdosing on some vitamins can throw off your body's ability to absorb and/or use other nutrients, putting you at an increased risk of suffering from both an overdose of one vitamin and a deficiency of another. In these cases, you are likely to experience more types of symptoms that are more intense in nature.

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Because the above symptoms are fairly general, see a doctor immediately if you suspect that you are suffering from a vitamin overdose.

Your doctor will be able to determine whether you are suffering from vitamin toxicity or whether your symptoms are being caused by some other, more serious underlying condition. If you have, in fact, overdosed on vitamins, your doctor may prescribe you medication to minimize the symptoms until your body's nutrient levels return to normal.

Health Complications Associated with Vitamin Toxicity

Here is a table that outlines the functions of some of the most essential nutrients, including the respective health complications that can arise when vitamin overdoses occur. The recommended daily intake for each of these nutrients is geared for healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 50.

Those above or below the age range, or anyone who suffers from some chronic or passing health problems, will have different nutrient requirements. If you have a question about the amounts of various nutrients that you should take, talk to your doctor.

Type of Nutrient	Role of Nutrient	Maximum Recommended Daily Intake Mg=Milligrams Mcg=Micro- milligrams IU=International Units	Complications Associated with Overdoses
Vitamin A	Vision health, clear skin, hair/teeth/bone production and maintenance	5,000 IU	Vision problems, general fatigue, liver problems, diarrhea, loss of hair, headaches, menstruation problems
Vitamin B6	Red blood cell production, metabolism, healthy blood	2 mg	Depression, general fatigue, headaches, loss of sensation in the hands and feet
Vitamin C	Immune system health, free radical cell elimination, cancer prevention, collagen production	60 mg	Headache, hot flashes, general weakness, insomnia, kidney problems
Calcium	Bone health, muscle strength, hormone production, enzyme interaction	1,000 mg	Slower nerve function, general fatigue, kidney stones
Vitamin D	Calcium absorption, bone strength, oral health	400 IU	Nausea, general weakness, high blood pressure, increased cholesterol levels, headaches, deafness
Vitamin E	Red blood cell health, metabolism, energy, skin health	30 IU	Extreme fatigue, increased blood clots, high blood pressure, slower healing
Iron	Metabolism, neuro- transmitter production, blood health	8 mg (men) 18 mg (women)	Liver damage, heart problems, pancreatic complications, constipation
Niacin	Digestive system health, nerve system health, skin health, energy	16 mg (men) 14 mg (women)	Liver problems, gout, general fatigue, irregular heartbeats, high blood sugar
Selenium	Thyroid health, proper hormone production and functioning	150 mcg	Weakness, nausea, loss of nails on fingers and toes
Zinc	Immune system health, proper enzyme activity, normal physical development, healing from injury	11 mg (men) 8 mg (women)	Hand tremors, loss of muscle control, slurry speech

Resources

Rogers, J.R. (n.d.). Vitamins: What They Do For You. Retrieved November 12, 2007, from the Bodies of Stone Web site: http://www.bodiesofstone.homestead.com/
VitaminFunctions.html.

Vitamins to Health (n.d.). Vitamin Overdose Symptoms. Retrieved November 12, 2007, from the Vitamins to Health Web site: http://www.vitaminstohealth.com/vitamin-overdose.html.

http://www.healthtree.com/articles/supplements/vitamin-over-use/



2.

Government Panel Cautions Against Overuse of Vitamins




18 May, 2006  19:53 GMT Among the generally healthy and affluent, use of vitamin supplements has skyrocketed in recent years as scientists speculated that high doses of certain nutrients might prevent cancer or other diseases.Over half of US adults use multivitamins, mostly the pretty healthy people who also eat nutrient-fortified foods. Yet there's little evidence that most of the pills do any good -- and concern that some people may even get a risky vitamin overload, advisers to the government said Wednesday. Worried about bottles that promise 53 times the recommended daily consumption of certain nutrients, specialists convened by the National Institutes of Health called Wednesday for strengthened federal oversight of the $23 billion dietary supplement industry -- especially efforts to pin down side effects. For the average healthy American, there's simply not enough evidence to tell if taking vitamins is a good or bad idea, said Dr. J. Michael McGinnis of the Institute of Medicine, who led the NIH panel's review. "We don't know a great deal," he said, calling for more rigorous research. Virtually Unregulated Moreover, McGinnis added, "The product with which we're dealing is virtually unregulated," meaning there are even questions about how the bottles' labels convey what's really inside. Vitamins and minerals, often packaged together, are the most-used dietary supplements and widely assumed to be safe. After all, vitamins naturally occur in some of the healthiest foods, and vitamin deficiencies have been known to be dangerous since scurvy's link to a lack of fruits and vegetables was discovered centuries ago. Ironically, the NIH panel concluded, the people most likely to have nutrient deficiencies are the least likely to use multivitamins. Yet among the generally healthy and affluent, use of vitamin supplements -- along with fortification of foods with extra vitamins -- has skyrocketed in recent years as scientists speculated that high doses of certain nutrients might prevent cancer or other diseases. That's where safety questions arise, because too much of certain nutrients can be bad. Few Proven to Prevent Disease There are only a few proven disease-preventing supplements, the NIH panel concluded: Women of childbearing age should take folic acid supplements to prevent spina bifida and related birth defects. Calcium and vitamin D together protect the bones of postmenopausal women. Antioxidants and zinc may slow the worsening of the blinding disease called age-related macular degeneration. On the other hand, smokers should avoid taking beta-carotene supplements because the pills can increase their risk of lung cancer, the report stresses. For other vitamins, concern arises mainly with super doses that exceed the government's "recommended daily amount," or RDA. Between 1 percent and 11 percent of supplement users may be exceeding the upper limits set for certain nutrients, if they add together their doses from pills and their diets, said Cornell University nutritionist Patsy Brannon. Leading her list: Too much niacin can damage the liver. Among other examples, too much vitamin A can cause birth defects, and too much vitamin E can cause bleeding problems. Side Effects, Interactions with Meds Aghast at the super-doses on some bottles, panelist William Vaughan of Consumer's Union asked, "Why would I take 53 times what people tell me is the RDA?" If you choose to take vitamins, use those labeled with 100 percent of the RDA or "daily value," advised Brannon. Together with a good diet, that would provide most people plenty without getting near the upper limit. Some vitamins also can interact dangerously with medications, and doctors should ask their patients what they take, the panel said. Congress limited the Food and Drug Administration's oversight of vitamins and other dietary supplements in 1994. Unlike most medications, most supplements sold today never had to be proven safe, much less proven to bring any health benefit. The NIH panel marks the fourth scientific report in recent years urging more FDA authority over supplements, urging the agency to, among other things, mandate that manufacturers report customer side effects just like medication makers do. Legislation that would do that has languished in Congress since 2004; the industry's Council for Responsible Nutrition said Wednesday it supported that call. But "for millions of Americans who struggle with diet and nutrition, a daily multivitamin provides a safe, affordable, and reliable means of filling nutrition gaps and promoting overall good health," added council president Steven Mister. (c) Deseret News (Salt Lake City)  (c) 2006 Daily News Central. All rights reserved.


http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/0002257/35/






3.

What Is Vitamin Poisoning?



Authored by Rodney Southern in Diseases
Published on 01-28-2009

Vitamin poisoning is a little-known but very serious danger, especially if you have small children in your household, but also for adults who have the mindset that more is better. The truth is, there is such a thing as too many vitamins, and it can cause serious health problems, even death, in the form of vitamin poisoning. Following is an explanation of vitamin poisoning and what you can do to prevent or treat this problem.

Vitamin poisoning, which is also sometimes referred to as vitamin overdose or hypervitaminosis, refers to literally being poisoned by excessive levels of vitamins in your body, whether it’s caused by overdose or storing too many of them over the long term. Anything at excessive levels is not good for your body, even water—there is a very serious condition called water intoxication that can cause death if you drink very excessive amounts of water all at once. Vitamin poisoning is similar, although the effects vary depending upon which vitamin you’re taking and your own body chemistry. For example, excessive amounts of vitamin C may merely cause diarrhea, while extremely large doses of folate can cause kidney damage, and an overdose of multi-vitamins containing minerals such as iron can cause actual death. This problem was more prevalent in children, who were attracted to the multi-vitamins that were sweetened and packaged to be appealing like candy. Fortunately, packaging requirements have largely eliminated this problem, though it always pays to be safe and keep all medicines out of the reach of children.

Most vitamin poisoning falls somewhere in between these two extremes, and is caused by either overuse of vitamin supplements in a mistaken belief that if the recommended daily allowance is good, taking five times that is five times better, or having a problem digesting fat soluble vitamins so they build up in the blood. The good news is that the former problem usually disappears shortly after you stop the overuse of the supplements, and the latter problem can be improved by finding different forms of the vitamin that are easier to digest.

Vitamin poisoning symptoms can include joint pain, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, mouth tingling, fatigue, headaches, dry skin and hair, brittle nails, double vision, anemia, pernicious anemia, water on the brain, numbness, difficulty walking, kidney or gallbladder stones, skin flushing, or liver damage, depending on the vitamins involved and the amount of the overdose. Obviously, all of these symptoms are also symptoms of many other diseases and disorders, so you shouldn’t make an assumption that you have vitamin poisoning unless you’re clearly aware that you took gigantic overdoses of a vitamin, but you should mention vitamins when your doctor asks you about any medication you take regularly. A good doctor will recognize the possibility that vitamin poisoning is causing or contributing to your illness and examine you properly in order to rule out or confirm this hypothesis.

http://www.edubook.com/what-is-vitamin-poisoning/2419/






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 There are so many misbeliefs of Vitamin use for people. Vitamin can be dangerous to your health. we have to recognize this problem and need to know.