Table of contents:
- Taking too many vitamins is not necessary
- The effects of taking too many vitamin supplements
- Excess vitamin D.
- Excess vitamin C
- Excess vitamin A.
- Excess iron
Vitamin supplements may be needed for those of you who need them because vitamin intake from food alone may not meet your needs. However, you should pay attention to the dosage and instructions for using vitamin supplements before you take them. Because, taking too many vitamins or taking them is not the right dose can harm your health.
Taking too many vitamins is not necessary
When you think your food intake is not sufficient for your vitamin needs, you may want to take vitamin supplements as a shortcut to meet your vitamin needs. However, before you take a vitamin supplement, preferably think carefully do you really need to take vitamin supplements? It's possible, by adding a little more to your intake of vegetables and fruits, your vitamin needs will be fulfilled, so you don't need to take vitamin supplements.
You don't need to get more vitamins than your body needs because there are no benefits to the body either. The body has its own system to regulate how many nutrients from food or supplements the body will take according to its needs. As said by Johanna Dwyer, RD, senior researcher at National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements, "Most people do not realize that there is no benefit if he takes vitamin supplements of the recommended amount, and they do not know the disadvantages," quoted from WebMD.
Some vitamins that are consumed in excess may have uncomfortable effects on you. For example, if you consume too much vitamin C or the mineral zinc, you may experience nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Too much selenium consumption can also result in hair loss, indigestion, fatigue, and mild nerve damage.
The effects of taking too many vitamin supplements
Most of the vitamins have their respective safe limits for consumption. So, if you consume vitamins that are still within safe limits, this will not cause you problems. For example, folic acid, which has a safe limit of 1000 micrograms per day for adults.
However, if you consume more than the safe limit, this will cause you to experience health problems. Although water soluble vitamins will be released by the body when you consume too much, they also remain in your body. This vitamin can reach toxic levels and cause adverse health effects.
Excess vitamin D.
Vitamins are needed by the body for bone growth and development. However, taking too much vitamin D can cause you to have serious heart problems. Adults who regularly consume more than vitamin D 4000 IU (safe limit for consumption of vitamin D), which is obtained both from food and supplements, can cause heart problems.
Excess vitamin C
Foods that contain vitamin C are usually rich in antioxidants that can protect your body's cells from the dangers of free radicals. However, consuming too much vitamin C is also dangerous for you, even though vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin. The safe limit for consuming vitamin C is 2000 mg. If you take more than this amount, then you can experience vomiting, heartburn, headaches, insomnia, and kidney stones. We recommend that you consume vitamin C no more than 1000 mg, from food or supplements. Consumption of more than 1000 mg can cause diarrhea.
Excess vitamin A.
Vitamin A plays a very important role in your vision, and also for healthy skin, teeth and bones. However, consuming too much vitamin A can also cause various problems, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, poor muscle coordination, bone pain, itching, hair loss, irregular menstruation. , osteoporosis, and liver damage.
Excess vitamin A in the body is also commonly known as hypervitaminosis A. This disease has symptoms, such as hair loss, liver damage, bleeding, coma, and even death. Recent research has also shown that supplements high in vitamin A can increase the risk of lung cancer and heart disease. The safe limit for consuming vitamin A is 3000 mg.
Excess iron
You will develop anemia if you are deficient in iron intake. However, too much iron intake is also not good for the body. Iron that is not used by the body will accumulate in the body and can cause poisoning. Too much consumption of iron supplements can cause skin discoloration, enlarged liver and spleen, stomach pain, congestive heart failure, irregular heartbeat, and type 1 diabetes mellitus.
Each person's iron needs are different. The safe limit for iron intake is about 20 mg / kg body weight. More than this limit, you can experience stomach pain, vomiting, rapid breathing, organ damage, coma, and even death. We recommend that you consume no more than 45 mg of iron per day.
