The patient overdosed on the supplement, complaining for months of vomiting, leg cramps and tinnitus and an accumulation of calcium in the blood. Doctors warn of the serious side effects of overdosing
A man was hospitalized in serious condition in the UK after taking over an almost 400 times higher dose of vitamin D than recommended. The case was reported in BMJ case Reports by a group of doctors from four different hospitals, who made the story public they wanted warn those who superficially rely on certain pills, exaggerating the dosages without thinking about the consequences. While numerous studies have pointed out the benefits derived from vitamin D supplements
during the lockdowns imposed during the Covid pandemic, the reality is that vitamin D intoxication on the rise, and not something to be taken lightly. Fortunately, vitamin D intoxication is still relatively rare, although globally – the authors point out – more and more people are taking food supplements, especially women and children.
Symptoms of vitamin D overdose
According to the report, a middle-aged man was hospitalized with relentless vomiting, nausea, leg cramps, abdominal pain, dry mouth, diarrhea, continued thirst, tinnitus which had been going on for almost three months now. When the man was visited he had already lost 13 pounds and his kidneys were in pain: during the anamnesis the patient reported that he started to suffer fromthe first symptoms one month after starting vitamin supplement therapy suggested by a private nutritionist. The patient stopped taking the supplements when symptoms started, but his condition did not improve. Tests showed that the patient had overdosed on vitamin D, a condition called ipervitaminosis D. The man heard about the supplements on a radio talk show and later contacted the interviewed nutritionist he explained. Learn Alkundico-author of the report and endocrinologist at William Harvey Hospital in East Kent in the UK, who treated him.
The hyper dosages
In detail, the patient, who wanted to solve previous health problems including tuberculosis, bacterial meningitis, chronic sinusitis, based on the advice of the nutritionist consulted, had started taking over-the-counter vitamin supplements for a total of 20 active agents: vitamin D 15,000 IU (nearly 400 times the recommended daily vitamin D, 400 IU), vitamin K2 100 μg (daily requirement 100-300 μg), vitamin C, vitamin B9 (folic acid) 1000 μg (daily requirement 400 μg), vitamina B2 , vitamin B6, omega-3 2000 mg twice daily (daily requirement 200–500 mg) and a mix of other vitamins, minerals, probiotics and sodium chloride.
The side effects
The first blood tests carried out on the advice of the general practitioner revealedo high levels of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia)a common effect of the vitamin D overdose which was seven times higher than normal levels. The man left hospitalized for eight days and was treated with intravenous fluids to rehydrate the body and bisphosphonates, drugs that help lower calcium levels in the blood. However, two months after discharge, vitamin D levels remained high. Unlike water-soluble vitamins, which the body can easily eliminate, vitamin D and its cousins A, E and K are stored in the liver and in the fat cells of the body until they are needed. Consuming well beyond the recommended daily allowance can turn into something very toxic. Given its slow turnover (half-life of about 2 months, during which vitamin D toxicity develops), the symptoms of an overdose can last for several weeks.
Vitamin D requirement
The body needs vitamin D. The main task of the vitamin is to help the body ad absorb calcium from the intestines. The vitamin also plays a role in immune health, in the activity of brain cells and in the functioning of muscles. But too much vitamin D in the blood leads tohypercalcemia, which occurs when the level of calcium in the blood is above normal, which can weaken bones, interfere with heart and brain function, and cause kidney stones. Researchers emphasize how important it is to recognize the symptoms of vitamin excess which can include drowsiness, confusion, lethargy, depression and in severe cases it can even lead to coma and kidney failure.
How to take vitamin D effectively
The efficient exposure to sunlight and thedietetic intakeo of vitamin D constitute the main strategies that allow to obtain suitable blood levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D is formed at 80% in the skin, following the action of ultraviolet radiation from sunlight; the remaining 20% comes from food. Dietary sources of this vitamin are: fatty fish (salmon, tuna, eel, sardines, swordfish); cod liver oil; il egg yolk; il whole milk; il butter and cheeses; il fpork and beef egato; i strengthened cereals with the addition of vitamin D; i wild mushrooms.
July 12, 2022 (change July 12, 2022 | 08:20)
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