Vitamin D Supplements Can Be Dangerous

Is There a Risk of Getting Too Much Vitamin D?

You might have heard how Vitamin D is going to be next Vitamin C and E. Don’t be too quick to believe it and start taking it in megadoses. There is no doubt that Vitamin D is very important to our health but the enthusiastic hype surrounding this “sunshine vitamin” could be potentially dangerous.

Recent Article on Vitamin D

I recently read an article on WebMD called Vitamin D: Vital Role in Your Health. It talked very enthusiastically about how this Vitamin D has been “long neglected” and it is “finally getting the attention it may have always deserved.” The author wrote that “it’s hard to know where the accolades should start” and then went on to list how Vitamin D may have benefits beyond promoting healthy bones. Unfortunately, the article barely mentioned that excess Vitamin D can be toxic (one sentence).

Vitamin D Intoxication

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is stored mainly in the liver (but also in fat tissue if you take a lot of it). When taken in excess amounts, it cannot be removed from the body as easily as water soluble vitamins such as Vitamin C. If excessive Vitamin D is converted to its active form (calcitriol), it can lead to too much calcium in the blood or hypercalcemia. Hypercalcemia caused by excess Vitamin D can lead to many complications including kidney stones and kidney failure.

No Need for Megadoses of Vitamin D

Having said that, getting enough Vitamin D is very important to our health. Fortunately, between small exposure to sunlight and fortified foods, most people get more than they need. Even if all the the additional benefits of Vitamin D are proven to be true, the recommended dose is very likely to be under 2000 IU per day. At these levels, even if the extra Vitamin D doesn't help, it probably isn't going to hurt either unless you already have hypercalcemia or a condition that predisposed to it such as hyperparathyroidism. Your doctor can tell you if you are at risk.

Conclusion

Having a sufficient amount of Vitamin D is important for your good health, but it can be dangerous if not taken properly. If you plan on taking extra Vitamin D (higher than the recommended amount), be sure to talk to your doctor about it first (especially if you have kidney disease) and don't take a megadose (> 2000 IU).