Vitamins and minerals are essential to your overall health. Much of the time, you can get these nutrients from the foods you eat. However, during times of stress, illness, surgeries or because of poor eating habits, you may need vitamin and mineral supplementation to assist your body. However, more is not necessarily better. There are times that you can take too many vitamins, which could have negative consequences.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is also known as ascorbic acid. According to Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, vitamin C is necessary for the production of collagen, and plays a role in the production of neurotransmitters, fat and cholesterol metabolism and maintenance of your immune system. Doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center warn that your body doesn't store vitamin C, so you need to get it from your food each day.
Uses
Vitamin C is used to treat a deficiency that results in scurvy. MayoClinic.com doctors state that scurvy is very uncommon but may occur in individuals who are malnourished. Vitamin C is used either orally or can be injected for treatment. It is also used to help support your immune system when you have a cold, improve your oral absorption of iron, and decrease the risk of urinary tract infections during pregnancy. Doctors from the Linus Pauling Institute also list uses of vitamin C for hypertension, cancer and diabetes. Before adding vitamin C to your daily regimen, you should check with your primary care physician to ensure it will not interfere with any medication you are taking or with another underlying medical condition.
Health Risks
Symptoms of excessive vitamin C intake include diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramps and other gastrointestinal imbalances, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements from the National Institutes of Health. These disturbances are triggered from the osmotic effect that unabsorbed vitamin C has on the gastrointestinal tract. Excessive supplementation of vitamin C has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular death and increased uric acid excretion, which can contribute to the formation of kidney stones. High levels of vitamin C may also cause increased iron absorption and could be linked to DNA damage, erosion of dental enamel and allergic responses.
Treatment Overdose
Because vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and is not stored in the body, if you do take too much of the vitamin and begin to experience overdose symptoms, you will generally find that drinking eight to 10 8-oz glasses of water daily will help flush the vitamin from your system. Of course, you will also need to temporarily discontinue the supplementation, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. When resuming supplementation, be sure to decrease your dosage and discuss your plans with your doctor.
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