Posts Tagged ‘vitamin d deficiency’

Avoid Vitamin D Overdose

Friday, September 4th, 2009

While Vitamin D deficiency can make you more prone to a variety of diseases, getting too much of this nutrient can lead to an overdose, which can also debilitate your health.

Vitamin D overdose usually happens when you get your Vitamin D from supplements. As modern lifestyles don’t allow people to have time to get optimal levels of this from sunlight, it has become necessary for some to supplement their diet with oral vitamin D instead.

But renowned nutrition expert, Dr. Joseph Mercola, believes that although your body can benefit from oral Vitamin D, there is always a possibility to overdose – therefore, it is not the best choice.

Keep in mind that as long as you maintain your Vitamin D at optimum levels, it can improve your health – reducing your risk of heart disease, certain cancers, multiple sclerosis and other diseases. But obtaining too much of this wonder nutrient will not do your body good.

Vitamin D Overdose Causes Serious Health Risks
In fact, the U.S. National Institute of Health notes that excessive amounts of Vitamin D can cause you to suffer from the following conditions:

    • Hardening of the Arteries
    • Osteoporosis
    • Kidney Damage
    • Hypercalcemia (Overabundance of calcium in the blood)
    • Abnormal Heart Rhythm
    • Heart Damage

All of these are serious health risks and should not be ignored. You should know that once you reach a vitamin overdose, you will not be able to reverse its debilitating effects to your health.

Taking Vitamin D Supplements Requires Medical Supervision
Should you decide that your body does require vitamin D supplementation, make sure that it is closely supervised by your doctor at all times.

Get a blood test first before taking any vitamin D supplements. The test will check for your vitamin D levels and will tell you how much Vitamin D your body really needs to supplement.

What Are the Symptoms of Vitamin D Overdose?

Once you start taking the supplements, it is also crucial that you be very observant of your body. Watch out for these symptoms of Vitamin D overdose:

    • Nausea
    • Loss of Appetite
    • Constipation
    • Vomiting
    • Headache
    • Mental Confusion
    • Bone Pain
    • Weakness
    • Apathy
    • Weight Loss

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, please consult a medical professional right away. These should be treated before they can do further damage to your health.

Sunlight Is Still the Best Vitamin D Source

Your body is really designed to get its vitamin D from the sun and not from supplements, says Dr. Mercola.

And this is true – even with the presence of Vitamin D supplements, sunlight remains the most natural source of vitamin D. It will not cost you anything, not even a dime!

So if you are keen on enjoying the amazing benefits of vitamin D, do not carelessly rely on supplementation. Consider spending time in the sun. You can also try a high quality, safe tanning bed, which can have the same Vitamin D-producing benefit as the sun does.

But if you insist on using a Vitamin D supplement, the only product that Dr. Mercola recommends at the moment is natural Vitamin D3 in spray form because it is rapidly absorbed by the body. Even then, this product requires blood testing before you use it.
Want to know further about Vitamin D? Visit this site for more articles and tips.