Minerals and vitamins from the foods you eat, as well as vitamin supplements, contribute to good health, helping your body maintain healthy tissue and fight disease. While deficiencies in vitamins and minerals can prove harmful, over-consuming the supplements that can prevent these deficiencies also can be detrimental to your health. A vitamin or mineral toxicity can, in some cases, prove fatal.
Water-Soluble Vitamin Overdose
Taking large doses of water-soluble vitamins -- the B-complex vitamins, as well as vitamin C -- can have a negative impact on your health in some cases. Following moderate over-consumption, your body can eliminate excess amounts of these vitamins from your body, helping to prevent harmful side effects. However, if you take a very large dose of water-soluble vitamins, you may experience an increase in the levels of the vitamins within your body, as your body tries to "catch up" in eliminating the excess vitamin molecules. For some water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin B-3, B-9 and C, this overdose may cause side effects. For example, overconsumption of vitamin B-3 can affect your liver function, according to the Colorado State University Extension.
Fat-Soluble Vitamin Overdose
Overdosing on fat-soluble vitamins -- including vitamins A, D, E and K -- can also harm your health. These vitamins are not excreted, so excess amounts of the vitamin accumulate within your liver. Over time, this accumulation of fat-soluble vitamins within your body, due to vitamin overdoses, can prove toxic. Excess vitamin A or D consumption can prove especially harmful, potentially causing liver and spleen enlargement, increased intracranial pressure, kidney damage and bone disorders, explains the Colorado State University Extension.
Mineral Overdose
Minerals, inorganic compounds essential for your health, may also have a negative effect on your health when over-consumed. Your body relies on a range of minerals -- including calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium -- to carry out a number of physiological processes in your cells, and to contribute to healthy tissue. Overdosing on minerals can prove toxic, potentially causing permanent organ damage or even death. For example, over-consuming potassium can affect your heart function, increasing your risk of a potentially fatal heart attack, according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
Avoiding Vitamin and Mineral Overdoses
The need for vitamin or mineral supplements varies on an individual basis, and taking more supplements than you need can increase your risk of vitamin or mineral overdose. Before taking any supplement, consult your doctor to determine which supplements you need, as well as an appropriate dosage level. You should also disclose any medication or existing health issues to your physician, since some pharmaceuticals or diseases may increase your risk of specific vitamin or mineral overdoses. Finally, if you take vitamin or mineral supplements, store the supplement bottles in a safe place, out of a child's reach, to help prevent accidental vitamin or mineral overdoses by children in your home.
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