Vitamins & Nausea

Vitamins are organic compounds that your body needs in tiny amounts for vital chemical functions, such as maintaining normal blood acidity and proper nerve impulse conduction. However, any excess or lack of intake of certain vitamins can cause many metabolic disorders, such as nausea. According to the Mayo Clinic, nausea is a discomfort in the stomach that causes an urge to vomit.

Vitamin Types

Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K dissolve in fat and are stored in your adipose, or fat, tissues around your internal organs and beneath your skin. According to dietitian Mary Grosvenor, if your diet lacks in any one of these vitamins, your body releases some of these stored vitamins into your bloodstream.

Water-soluble vitamins, including all B vitamins and C, dissolve in water, and your body cannot store them in large amounts like fat-soluble vitamins--except for vitamin B12, which is stored in your liver. Your kidney excretes excess water-soluble vitamins in urine.

Causes of Nausea

Nausea is often accompanied by vomiting as a result of many causes, such as vitamin deficiencies, inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, or migraines and headaches. Pregnant women, cancer patients, alcoholics and people with certain psychological disorders often experience nausea. According to the Mayo Clinic, there is no single cause of nausea and vomiting. Even healthy individuals, who are under heavy stress, can experience nausea.

Prevention

Getting the proper range of vitamins daily in your diet is one of the best preventable methods to avoid nausea and vomiting, according to dietitian Mary Grosvenor, author of "Nutrition From Science to Life." For example, a deficiency of vitamin A or an overdose of pantothenic acid, or vitamin B5, can cause nausea accompanied by diarrhea and vomiting. Eat a variety of foods, especially whole grains, fruits and vegetables, to get the necessary daily vitamins and other nutrients.

Warning

Never take any supplements or consume any foods that are high in fat-soluble vitamins, unless this high vitamin intake is recommended by a physician or registered dietitian. Because your body already has a storage for fat-soluble vitamins, any excess accumulation of these nutrients can cause various disorders that lead to a coma or death.

According to the Linus Pauling Institute of Oregon State University, excess vitamin A can cause nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, night blindness, liver damage, and even coma and death. Excess vitamin D can cause high blood calcium, which can lead to calcification of soft tissues and kidney stones.

Misconceptions

Many supplement companies claim that vitamins provide you with energy to exercise and work. However, according to Grosvenor, carbohydrates, fats and proteins are the nutrients that provide you with energy like gasoline in a car, while vitamins act as catalysts in chemical reactions that help your body convert food into energy like spark plugs in the car's engine.