Vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol, plays an important role in how your body processes calcium. People with vitamin D3 deficiencies can develop bone and muscle problems. Low vitamin D levels are also associated with chronic conditions such as heart disease and cancer. Too much vitamin D3 can also be dangerous as it can cause too much calcium to accumulate in your blood. While it is theoretically possible to overdose on vitamin D3, the amounts of vitamin D3 needed for toxic reactions are almost impossible to achieve by taking conventional vitamin D3 supplements or by exposure to sunlight, according to the National Institutes of Health and the Vitamin D Council.
Toxicity Signs
Vitamin D3 can affect the way your body processes calcium. If you take too much vitamin D3, you may develop hypercalcemia, a condition in which there is too much calcium in your blood. Drugs.com lists the symptoms of hypercalcemia from vitamin D3 toxicity. The early stages of vitamin D3-induced hypercalcemia include symptoms of headache, nausea, vomiting, general body pains, weakness and vertigo. More advanced symptoms of vitamin D3 toxicity may include coma, arrhythmias, confusion and kidney failure.
Sun Exposure
Your body makes ample vitamin D3 on its own when you expose your skin to sunlight. It is estimated that exposure of your body to the sun in summer months can lead to the production of 10,000 to 50,000 units of vitamin D3. While these levels of vitamin D are fairly high, it is impossible for healthy people to get too much vitamin D3 from sun exposure, according to the National Institutes of Health. While your skin makes vitamin D3, it also has several built-in mechanisms to limit vitamin D3 production and absorption in times of plentiful sunlight. When your vitamin D3 production becomes too high, your skin shuts down vitamin D3 synthesis and can even break down excess vitamin D.
Supplement Toxicity
The Food and Drug Administration recommends that people get 600 units of vitamin D per day through their diet. Most vitamin D3 supplements contain between 100 and 1,000 units of vitamin D3. According to the National Institutes of Health, it is safe for most people to supplement with 10,000 to 40,000 units per day, provided that they are not taking other medications or have unusual sensitivities to vitamin D. The Vitamin D Council reports that there are few reported cases of pure vitamin D3 toxicity. According to the Vitamin D Council, a healthy person would need to take more than 400,000 vitamin D3 supplements to suffer from vitamin D3 toxicity. Most people who have bad reactions to vitamin D3 are hypersensitive to vitamin D or calcium.
Recommendations
If you are concerned with your vitamin D levels, you may consider asking your doctor to perform a vitamin D blood test to check to see whether you are deficient for vitamin D. While it is likely safe to take vitamin D3 supplements, check with your doctor before using them if you are taking any other supplements or prescription medications, as they could have dangerous interactions with vitamin D3. For instance, taking vitamin D3 while also taking calcium supplements has been associated with an increased risk of kidney stones in women, explains the National Institutes of Health.
Member Comments