Can vitamin supplements be dangerous?
In an answer to the politician Birthe Skaarup (Danish Peoples Party) in 2002, the Danish minister of agriculture and foods, Mariann Fischer Boel, explained there have not been any registered cases of adverse effects after the intake of dietary supplements in the form of vitamins and minerals in Denmark in the last 10 years.
In a analysis from the USA, which has more liberal laws regarding dietary supplements than Europe, health officials concluded that there were no deaths caused by dietary supplements in the years 1983 to 1990. In the same period 2556 deaths due to medicine intake were registered.
There are also no suicidal candidates who choose to end their days by taking vitamin supplements.
However, there are examples of people who develop allergies to even the healthiest of things. Even so, vitamin supplements are some of the most unproblematic things that we have.
Can one overdose on vitamin supplements?
Everything which affects the body, from mineral water to vitamin supplements, can have adverse effects if they are overdosed. Most vitamins are not at all dangerous even in doses which are many hundreds times higher than their official recommended daily allowances (RDA) and normally it takes a lot of effort to be poisoned by them. Normally vitamin A (but not betacarotene) is the one which should be taken with the most care to prevent overdose. For example, a supplement of zinc taken with vitamin A can prevent overdose. Before vitamin overdose becomes dangerous the body is given warning signs in the form of nausea, diarrhoea, headache, sleeplessness, pain, etc. If one takes large therapeutic doses of vitamins together in a balanced vitamin and mineral supplement, the risks are reduced even more. As a rule of thumb, avoid using synthetic vitamins.
See also: RDA and therapeutic dosage
What should I do if I have adverse symptoms due to vitamin supplements?
Adverse symptoms caused by vitamins can be caused by over sensitivity to one or more of the ingredients in the supplement. It is not necessarily the vitamins which cause the symptoms, but it is more likely that they are caused by other additives to the supplement. Such symptoms can also be due to the body reacting to therapeutic amounts of vitamins that it is not used to. This can alter the intestinal movements or cause other digestive symptoms.
If you do show symptoms, you should take a break from taking your supplements until your symptoms have dissipated. Begin afterwards by taking a single tablet/capsule daily. If this goes well, take two tablets/capsules per day and thereafter up the dose gradually until you find your optimal dose. If the symptoms appear before your desired dose is reached, use the maximal dose before the appearance of the symptoms. Contact your dietary therapist if you have further problems in this area.
Is it dangerous to take vitamins and prescription medicine at the same time?
One should always check the drug information sheet or ask your doctor about possible interactions between the medicine in question and your vitamins. There are examples of interactions between fat soluble vitamins and blood thinning medicine, cholesterol lowering medicine, and some antibiotics.
Illness and poisoning increases the bodies need for vitamins and minerals One can therefore argue another side of the issue by saying that conventional medicine inhibits the effect of biological treatment.
Some examples of loss of nutrients caused by the use of prescription medicine:
- If one takes acid neutralising drugs, one looses calcium, phosphorus, and folic acid.
- Antibiotic treatment leads to the destruction of the intestinal flora and the loss of vitamins B and K.
- Cholesterol lowering medicine lowers the amount of coenzyme Q10 in the body.
- If one uses laxatives, one looses fat soluble vitamins, beta carotene, calcium, and phosphorus.
- The use of birth control pills causes the loss of vitamins B and C, magnesium, selenium, and zinc.
- Diuretics increase the excretion of potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, B1, B6, and zinc.
- Tricyclic antidepressive drugs cause the loss of B2 and coenzyme Q10
Pelton, Ross & LaValle, James B: The Nutritional Cost of Prescription Drugs; Morton Publishing Company 2000, ISBN 0-39582-548-1
Can vitamin A cause osteoporosis?
Vitamin A acid, also known as Retin-A, is necessary for normal bone growth. It is quickly metabolised to inactive substances, but large doses can cause bone damage if used for long periods. In practice it is only possible to achieve such large doses of Retin-A in laboratory animals. There is therefore no reason to believe that vitamin A causes osteoporosis.
Can vitamin C cause kidney stones?
That vitamin C causes kidney stones is a myth. Contrarily, many studies indicate that vitamin C has a positive effect in preventing kidney stones. The myth probably comes from some studies which showed increased excretion of oxalic acid with high levels of vitamin C intake. Other studies have shown that high vitamin C intake reduces the excretion of oxalic acid.
In practice we do not see kidney stone formation in people who take vitamin C in gram doses.
On the contrary, people with a low intake of magnesium and vitamin B6 have an increased risk of forming kidney stones. Kidney stones are also seen more frequently in people who have been on a diet.
Can vitamin E cause stroke?
Large doses of vitamin E (over 499 i.e. daily) can under some circumstances cause bleeding in the brain in people with high blood pressure. Even so, over 95% of all strokes are not cause by bleeding in the brain but by the formation of blood clots in the brain. Vitamin E inhibits the formation of blood clots.
Vitamin E can raise blood pressure temporarily in some people. Blood pressure elevation can be prevented by not taking vitamin E alone and by starting with low doses, for example 39 i.e., and increasing to the desired dose over a period of three weeks or longer.
Are vitamin supplements necessary?
No, they are possibly not necessary if you eat a very healthy and varied diet every day (without colouring agents, conservatives, or other chemical additives), if you eat enough, if you are not exposed to pollutants (including heavy metals and amalgam fillings), if you do not smoke and are not exposed to passive smoking, if you do not drink alcohol, coffee, or soda in large amounts, if you do not intake sugar and sugar-rich foods in large amounts, if you are not exposed to stress, if you do not take medicine, if you do not suffer from any illness, if you are not in convalescence from any illness, if you do not have any inherited need for large amounts of certain nutrients, or if you are pregnant.
It is self explanatory there are many people who would benefit from a vitamin supplement.
In an analysis of over 150 scientific studies form 1966-2002, the distinguished American journal JAMA concluded that a to little consumption of a number of vitamins is a risk factor for chronic illness and that it is common for normal people, especially the elderly, to not receive enough vitamins in their diet. The researches also conclude that there is strong evidence from well controlled clinical studies that all adults should take a vitamin supplement.
Is a normal vitamin pill enough?
No, not in many cases. Both vitamins and minerals must be of good quality and be easily absorbable by the body. Vitamins should be natural (not synthetic) and minerals should be chelated, meaning that they should be bound to certain organic acids. A daily vitamin and mineral supplement should be comprised of all of the essential vitamins and minerals in an optimal balance.
Normal vitamin pills typically only contain amounts of nutrients equivalent to RDA (recommended daily allowance). Even though RDA is sufficient to prevent against syndromes due to vitamin insufficiency, the measure cannot be used as a measure for how much vitamins and minerals an individual should consume.
Other research has compared a group who did not take dietary supplements, a second group who took a single vitamin pill, and a third group of people who took large amounts of dietary supplements. This study reported no side effects in the group which took large amounts of supplements and that this group was in the best health out of the three.
Block G, et al. Usage patterns, health, and nutritional status of long term multiple dietary supplement users: a cross-sectional study. Nut J 2007;6:30
Read more about RDA here
Are supplements of large amounts of vitamin C a waste of money because they directly end up in the toilet?
There are some who love this argument. The amount of vitamin C excreted is dependent on the bodies need for vitamin C and can vary greatly. An example which illustrates how much vitamin C the body can use comes from the 1970’s, when the biochemist, Linus Pauling, took 10 g ascorbic acid daily. He measured his excretion of ascorbic acid and found it to be 1.5 g. Dr. Robert Cathcart and other vitamin C researchers have shown that infections can increase the body’s need for vitamin C.
See also this commentary: Expensive urine
Who needs daily vitamin supplements?
Both children and adults should take a balanced vitamin supplement daily if they want to be sure that they receive 100% of their vitamins. Read more in the section: “Are vitamin supplements necessary?”
What is the best way to take vitamin supplements?
It is commonly believed that water soluble vitamins are excreted only a few hours after they have been taken because they can be found in the urine. If one takes a sufficient dose, these vitamins will affect the cells and work for longer periods. We recommend that vitamin supplements should be taken with meals and that the daily ration should be spread out throughout the day. One dose daily is not enough; two doses daily, morning and evening, is sufficient but three doses is best. For example, if one takes only a small dose of vitamin C in the morning, one risks not having enough of the vitamin in the body from midday to the next morning. Depot or slow releasing vitamins can also combat this problem.
One achieves the bets effect of vitamins by taking a balanced supplement of all vitamins. In multivitamin tablets of good quality the amounts of the individual vitamins are in harmonious balance with each other. Intake of a single or of few vitamins for longer periods of time should be avoided because it can cause the body to be thrown out of balance. Therapeutic doses of single or few vitamins should be taken with a basis supplement of all vitamins and minerals. We recommend multivitamin-mineral supplements of good quality.
What should I do if I cannot swallow large vitamin pills or capsules?
In some forms of conventional medicine in capsule form, the purpose of the capsule is to delay the release of the active ingredients so that they are first released longer down the digestive tract. They must therefore be swallowed whole. On the other hand, vitamin capsules can be opened and their contents can be taken with food or drink. Some tablets can be divided and all vitamin tablets can be pulverised in a mortar or dissolved in a little warm water.
Can vitamin supplements replace eating healthily
No, of course not, but healthy food can reduce the need for vitamin supplements when illness prevention is at stake. Also read our answer to “Are vitamin supplements necessary?”
Should I speak with my doctor before I take vitamin supplements?
We do not discourage asking the advice of a doctor. However, it should be considered that many doctors do not have much knowledge in the use of vitamins for preventing disease or in therapy and therefore could be unsure about how to answer questions regarding vitamin use.
What dose should I give my child?
The difference between child and adult vitamins is primarily their dosages. There are no general guidelines for the dosage of vitamins and minerals for children.
Age......... Dosage:
0 - ½ years: .......breast milk
½ -1 years: ....... ca. 1/6 of adult dose
1 - 3 years: ....... ca. 1/3 of adult dose
3 - 6 years: ........ca. 1/2 of adult dose
6 - 9 years: ........ca. 2/3 of adult dose
9 - 12 years: ......ca. 3/4 of adult dose
over 12 years: ...adult dose
