Vitamin and mineral toxicities in adults

[Guest guest]

(Please post!) This is a continuation of previous post on vitamin deficiency diseases. Many people feel that supplementation will "do the trick" and take too much of a good thing. Before you take megadoses of any vitamin or mineral, please read this.

Just my observation (and experience), but I think because our doctors are so often unable to help us, many of us have tried various supplements, sometimes without knowing what the proper dose is or whether we even need it or not.

Below the chart is an explanation of the numbers, but the 3rd number is the lowest reported toxic dosage. You can see this chart (in recognizable form!) at www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/foods/nf97.htm

Some of the toxic dosages can actually CAUSE the symptoms we are trying to cure, like diarrhea, neuropathy, and bone and joint pain.

Please, be careful!

Eileen

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Nebraska ative Extension NF92-97

Vitamin and Mineral Toxicities in Adults

Judy A. Driskell, Extension Foods and Nutrition Specialist [Previous Category] [Catalog] [Order Info]Our bodies need vitamins and essential minerals. And, like other things, if taken in large amounts, vitamins and minerals can adversely affect health. Large amounts of anything can be toxic.Nutritional Status

People can have deficient, adequate, or toxic intakes of any essential nutrient. A deficiency occurs when the intake of the essential nutrient is too low to meet a person's need for that specific nutrient. Adequacy occurs when a person gets enough, but not too much, of a nutrient. Nutrient toxicity occurs when you get an overdose of a given nutrient.Causes of Nutrient Toxicities

Most nutrient toxicities don't occur from dietary intakes of foods. Vitamin toxicities usually come from taking high potency vitamin supplements. Most mineral toxicities are a result of inhalation.Much of the data on adverse health effects from taking large amounts of a vitamin or mineral pertain to acute rather than chronic use. Because nutrients work together, consuming excessive amounts of one nutrient can cause a deficiency of another.There is no evidence that low levels of vitamin-mineral supplements adversely affect health. This topic is discussed in a recent NebFact, "Vitamin-Mineral Supplements and Their Usage by Adults."

Table 1. Vitamin and Mineral Toxicities in Adults Nutrient 1989 RDAa Men/Women U.S. RDAb Lowest Reported Toxic Dose (adults)c Symptoms of Toxicity (mild and severe)

Vitamin A

(preformed) 1000/800 mcg RE 5000 IU or 1000 mcg RE 6000 RE Headache, vomiting, diplopia, alopecia, dryness of mucous membranes, dermatitis, anemia, insomnia, bone abnormalities, bone and joint pain, hepatomegaly, liver damage, hypercalcemia, hyperlipemia, menstrual irregularities, spontaneous abortions, and birth defects. Vitamin D 5/5 mcg 400 IU or 10 mcg 45 mcg Nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst and urination, muscular weakness, joint pain, hypercalcemia, disorientation, and irreversible calcification of heart, lungs, kidneys, and other soft tissues. Vitamin E 10/8 mg -TE 30 IU or 20 mg -TE Unknown Exacerbation of the coagulation defect produced by vitamin K deficiency caused by either malabsorption or anticoagulant therapy. Vitamin K 80/65 mcg None Unknown Menadione (vitamin K3) but not phylloquinone (vitamin K1) causes hemolytic anemia, liver damage, and, in newborns, kernicterus. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 60/60 mg 60 mg 4 g Nausea, diarrhea, kidney stones, mobilization of bone minerals, systematic conditioning to high intakes, and abortion. Vitamin B1

(thiamine) 1.5/1.1 mg 1.5 mg 300 mg Gastric upset and prolonged large parenteral injections can lead to sensitized anaphylactoid reactions. Vitamin B2

(riboflavin) 1.7/1.3 mg 1.7 mg 1000 mg None reported in humans; precipitates in kidneys and hearts of laboratory rats. Niacin

(nicotinic acid and nicotinamide) 19/15 mg NE 20 mg or 20 mg NE 1 g Nicotinic acid - vascular dilation, gastrointestinal irritation, increased muscle glycogen utilization, decreased serum lipids, decreased mobilization of fatty acids from adipose tissues, and hepatomegaly.

Nicotinamide - nausea, heartburn, fatigue, dry hair, sore throat, and inability to focus eyes. Vitamin B6 2.0/1.6 mg 2.0 mg 200 mg Dizziness, nausea, ataxia, perpheral neuropathy, and systemic conditioning to high intakes. Folic Acid

(folate and folacin) 200/180 mcg 400 mcg 5 mg Can obscure the diagnosis of pernicious anemia by preventing anemia and permitting nerve damage and may reduce zinc absorption; precipitates in kidneys of laboratory rats. Vitamin B12 2.0/2.0 mcg 6.0 mcg Unknown None reported; rat studies indicate that folate metabolism may be affected. Biotin 30-100 mcgd 0.3 mcg Unknown None reported; controversial as to whether reproductive performance of female rats is affected. Pantothenic Acid 4-7 mgd 10 mg 10 g Occasional diarrhea and edema. Choline Vitamin-Like Substancee — 20 g Nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, depression, excessive cholinergic stimulation, and EKG abnormalities; salivating, trembling, cyanosis, convulsions, and respiratory paralysis reported in laboratory rats. Carnitine Vitamin-Like Substancee — Unknown Occasional diarrhea.