Vitamin D plays an important role in maintaining your overall health.
It’s necessary for the growth and development of your muscle cells, proper functioning of the innate and adaptive immune system, maintenance of the health of your skeletal system, and more.
This is why insufficient or deficient levels of vitamin D may increase your risk of disease and infection, bone demineralization, and many other negative health outcomes.
Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common. In fact, up to 40% of U.S. adults are considered to have insufficient levels (not enough) of vitamin D, while around 6% are considered deficient in vitamin D. Worldwide, vitamin D deficiency affects around 1 billion people.
Factors that increase the risk of vitamin D deficiency include:
- skin color
- where you live
- your ability to absorb vitamin D
- sun exposure
- medical conditions
- body weight
Because vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency are common, many people use vitamin D supplements to maintain healthy vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D supplements are considered very safe, and toxicity is uncommon. This is because a healthy person would need to take extremely large doses of vitamin D over time in order to reach toxic or dangerous levels in the body.
However, vitamin D toxicity is more common in people with certain medical conditions. These include:
- granulomatous disorders
- congenital disorders
- some lymphomas
- dysregulated vitamin D metabolism
Although uncommon, vitamin D toxicity can occur, especially in cases of:
- accidental overdose
- prescription errors
- misuse of high-dose vitamin D supplements
Vitamin D toxicity goes by a few other names, including hypervitaminosis D and vitamin D intoxication.
This article discusses 6 symptoms and side effects related to vitamin D toxicity.
1. Elevated blood levels
In order for vitamin D to reach toxic or dangerous levels in the body, it needs to exceed 100 nanograms (ng) per mL. Hypervitaminosis D is defined as blood vitamin D levels over 100 ng/mL, while vitamin D intoxication is defined as serum levels over 150 ng/mL. Recommendations on optimal vitamin D levels vary, but research suggests that levels between 30–60 ng/mL are likely optimal and may help protect against illness and disease.Even when taking high dose vitamin D supplements, it’s unlikely that a healthy person’s blood vitamin D levels would come close to reaching excessive or toxic levels.
Most cases of vitamin D toxicity are caused by inappropriate supplement dosing and prescription errors.
For example, in a 2020 case report, a 73-year-old man developed vitamin D toxicity after taking 10,000 IU of vitamin D per day for many years.In another 2020 case report, a 56-year-old woman who took an average of 130,000 IU of vitamin D per day for 20 months in hopes of improving symptoms of multiple sclerosis was hospitalized for symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and muscle weakness. Her vitamin D levels were discovered to be 265 ng/mL .
Note that 130,000 IU is over 30 times the generally recommended safe upper limit of 4,000 IU per day.
Even though toxicity is unlikely if you keep your daily intake levels below 10,000 IU per day and avoid excessively high intakes of vitamin D supplements, experts recommend that people with typical vitamin D levels do not exceed 4,000 IU of vitamin D per day.Keep in mind that people who are low or deficient in vitamin D typically need to take much higher levels than the current Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) of 4,000 IU per day to reach and maintain optimal vitamin D levels.
However, make sure to consult a healthcare professional on what dosage you should take. This will help you avoid potential inappropriate or dangerous dosing.
SUMMARY
Vitamin D levels greater than 100 ng/mL may be harmful. Toxicity symptoms have been reported at extremely high blood levels in cases where people took megadoses (very high doses) of vitamin D supplements for extended periods of time.
2. Elevated blood calcium levels
Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium from the food you eat. In fact, this is one of its most important roles. However, if your vitamin D intake is excessive, your blood calcium may reach levels that can cause unpleasant and potentially dangerous symptoms. The symptoms of vitamin D toxicity are primarily related to hypercalcemia, which means excessively high blood calcium levels.
Symptoms of hypercalcemia include:
- digestive distress, such as vomiting, nausea, constipation, and stomach pain
- fatigue, dizziness, hallucinations, and confusion
- loss of appetite
- excessive urination
- kidney stones, kidney injury, and even kidney failure
- high blood pressure and heart abnormalities
- dehydration
The normal range of blood calcium is 8.5–10.8 mg/dL.
Hypercalcemia typically develops after people take megadoses of vitamin D for a prolonged period of time.
For example, a 2015 case study reported that an older man with dementia who received 50,000 IU of vitamin D daily for 6 months was repeatedly hospitalized with symptoms related to high calcium levels.
In the 2020 case report mentioned earlier, the woman who took an average of 130,000 IU of vitamin D per day for 20 months was also hospitalized for symptoms related to hypercalcemia.
These included nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, and kidney injury. Her blood calcium levels were 3.23 mmol/L (12.9 mg/dL).
Hypercalcemia can be life threatening and requires immediate medical attention.
SUMMARY
Taking too much vitamin D may result in excessive absorption of calcium, which can cause several potentially dangerous symptoms.
3. Gastrointestinal symptoms
The main side effects of excessive vitamin D levels are related to excessive calcium in the blood.
Some of the main symptoms of hypercalcemia include:
- nausea
- vomiting
- constipation
- diarrhea
- poor appetite
However, not all people with hypercalcemia experience the exact same symptoms.
One woman experienced nausea and weight loss after taking a supplement that was later found to contain 78 times more vitamin D than stated on the label.
Importantly, these symptoms occurred in response to extremely high doses of vitamin D3, which led to calcium levels greater than 12 mg/dL.
In one case study, a boy developed stomach pain and constipation after taking improperly labeled vitamin D supplements, whereas his brother experienced elevated blood levels without any other symptoms.
SUMMARY
Taking vitamin D can increase levels of calcium in the blood, and too much calcium can cause side effects. If you take large doses of vitamin D, you may experience stomach pain, loss of appetite, constipation, or diarrhea as a result of elevated calcium levels.
4. Altered mental status
Hypercalcemia can lead to altered mental status in people with vitamin D toxicity.
People with vitamin D toxicity–induced hypercalcemia commonly have symptoms like confusion, depression, and psychosis. In extreme cases, coma has been reported.
In a 2021 case report, a 64-year-old man accidentally took 200,000 IU of vitamin D per day because he misunderstood medication instructions. He showed altered mental status and other serious symptoms related to hypercalcemia.
He remained agitated and confused for the first 10 days of his stay in the hospital, but his symptoms gradually improved as his calcium levels dropped. It took about 18 days for his calcium to return to expected levels.
SUMMARY
Vitamin D toxicity can cause symptoms like confusion, agitation, and unresponsiveness. This also appears to result from elevated calcium levels, which high doses of vitamin D can cause.
5. Kidney complications
In some cases, vitamin D toxicity can result in kidney injury and even kidney failure. This is because having too much vitamin D in the body can lead to high levels of calcium, which can lead to water loss through too much urination and calcification of the kidneys. Hypercalcemia can also cause the blood vessels of the kidneys to constrict, which leads to decreased kidney function. Indeed, many studies have reported moderate-to-severe kidney injury in people who develop vitamin D toxicity. Interestingly, a vitamin D deficiency can also harm the kidneys and lead to severe complications in those with kidney disease. That’s one reason why maintaining optimal blood levels of vitamin D is critical.
SUMMARY
Too much vitamin D may lead to kidney injury and can even lead to kidney failure in some cases.
What is calcification?
Calcification happens when calcium builds up in body tissue, blood vessels, or organs. This buildup can harden and disrupt your body’s normal processes. Calcium is transported through the bloodstream. It’s also found in every cell. As a result, calcification can occur in almost any part of the body.
According to the National Academy of MedicineTrusted Source (formerly the Institute of Medicine), about 99 percent of your body’s calcium is in your teeth and bones. The other 1 percent is in the blood, muscles, fluid outside the cells, and other body tissues.
Some disorders cause calcium to deposit in places where it doesn’t typically belong. Over time, this can add up and cause problems. You may need treatment to prevent complications if you have this extra calcium buildup, for example, in kidney.
ALL IN ALL
Vitamin D deficiency is quite common. For this reason, many people need to take vitamin D supplements. However, it’s important to avoid taking high dose vitamin D supplements, except with the guidance of a healthcare professional.
Just one thing
Try this today: If you want to know your vitamin D status, talk with your healthcare professional about getting a blood test.
Even though vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is extremely common, most people have no idea that they’re deficient. In fact, It’s impossible to know if you’re low or deficient in vitamin D without taking a blood test.
If your bloodwork shows that you’re low or deficient in vitamin D, your healthcare professional will recommend an appropriate daily dose to boost your levels.
Good sources of vitamin D
From about late March/early April to the end of September, most people should be able to make all the vitamin D they need from sunlight. The body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors. But between October and early March we do not make enough vitamin D from sunlight.
Vitamin D is also found in a small number of foods.
Sources include:
- oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel
- red meat
- liver
- egg yolks
- fortified foods – such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals
- Another source of vitamin D is dietary supplements.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-side-effects#The-bottom-line
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/
https://www.healthline.com/health/calcification
#vitamine D #sources #D #food #healthy #calcium #sun #disease #boost #your #immune #system #lifestyle #supplements #synthetic #sunbath
