Can Too Much Vitamin D Cause Swelling?

Your main source of vitamin D comes from exposure to the sun. The rays of sunlight that coat your skin trigger your body to form vitamin D. Staying in the sun just five to 30 minutes per day in the early and midafternoon can be enough to get your daily vitamin D needs. Too much vitamin D can lead to certain symptoms, but swelling is not one of them.

The Risk

Vitamin D toxicity, or getting too much vitamin D, rarely occurs in normal individuals. Your body has the ability to regulate the amount of vitamin D that it absorbs from the sun. When your body has gotten enough of it, the mechanism stops production. Dietary sources can't provide enough vitamin D even to meet daily recommended intakes, so a toxicity cannot come from diet either. Those at risk for vitamin D toxicity must be taking a supplement. This is rare as well because an adult can take in up to 4,000 IU without a problem, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements.

Symptoms of Vitamin D Toxicity

A vitamin D toxicity is known as hypervitimanosis D. The most prominent symptom is hypercalcemia, an excess in calcium levels. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, lack of hunger, constipation, confusion, heart arrhythmias and kidney stones. Swelling is not a sign or symptom of too much vitamin D. In fact, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements, weight loss can actually occur from excessive vitamin D.

Hypercalcemia

Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium during digestion, which is why too much vitamin D can also lead to too much calcium. This is known as hypercalcemia and symptoms include stomach problems, thirst, frequent urinating, constipation, muscle weakness and pain, joint pain and fatigue. Hypercalcemia, also a product of excessive vitamin D, does not cause swelling either.

Deficiency

It is a vitamin D deficiency that can actually cause swelling. A study reported in the "Archives of Internal Medicine" in 2009 found that women deficient in vitamin D are more likely to have inflammation. Inflammation is a response by the immune system that can indicate problems such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis and heart disease. Researchers suggest that the relationship between vitamin D and markers of inflammation is an inverse one. In other words, the more vitamin D you have, the lower your markers of inflammation.

Recommendations

Current recommendations for vitamin D vary by age, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. From ages one to 70, individuals should take in 600 IU per day. After 70 years, the recommendations increase to 800 IU per day. For your own individual health and needs, speak with your doctor regarding the right amount of vitamin D for you.