Vitamin D and calcium are essential for good health, particularly for strong bones and muscles, so getting enough in your daily diet or through supplementation is vital. But like any nutrients, vitamin D and calcium can be consumed at dangerously high levels. Talking with your doctor about appropriate amounts of daily calcium and vitamin D intake is the first step to avoid future problems.
Working Together
Vitamin D, which you can get by eating a variety of foods and sunlight exposure, helps the body absorb calcium. That's why you often see vitamin D and calcium together in supplement form. Insufficient vitamin D intake makes the body remove calcium from bones, which leads to osteoporosis, a condition marked by unhealthy bone density. Too much sodium and protein can undermine healthy vitamin D and calcium consumption, but contribute to higher levels of calcium excretion.
Vitamin D Toxicity
Vitamin D toxicity, also known as hypervitaminosis D, is a potentially serious medical condition that usually results from an excess of vitamin D in the body caused by supplementation. It's difficult to get too much vitamin D from dietary sources alone. Symptoms include nausea, weakness, constipation and even abnormal heart rhythms. If you start to experience these problems, which would be caused by too much calcium in the bloodstream, see your doctor and be sure to share exactly how much calcium and vitamin D you take every week.
Calcium Overload
Too much calcium can be especially dangerous for patients with kidney disease. Like vitamin D toxicity, an excess of calcium supplementation can be dangerous, particularly if you are eating a lot of calcium-rich foods. The American Association of Kidney Patients recommends taking no more than 2,000mg of calcium per day, from all sources. That should actually be plenty for healthy children and adults as well.
Diet and Supplements
Ideally, you should get your vitamin D and calcium from dietary sources, rather than in pill form. Foods with high levels of calcium include leafy green vegetables, broccoli, beans, tofu and dairy, though you should stick with low-fat or non-fat dairy products to avoid the unhealthy saturated fats in whole milk. Vitamin D can be found in high levels in fish, eggs and vitamin D-fortified dairy products and breakfast cereals.
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