Known as the "sunshine vitamin," vitamin D is one your body produces when exposed to the sun, or you can obtain it through foods and supplements. An estimated three-fourths of adults and teenagers do not get enough vitamin D each day, according to "Scientific American." While getting sufficient vitamin D daily is important to your health, it is possible to take toxic doses. Knowing how much is safe to take can help you avoid adverse effects, such as bone loss.
Upper Limit
The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine established tolerable upper intake levels for vitamin D. This means the foods and supplements of vitamin D you take each day should not exceed this amount, or you might experience adverse side effects. Infants up to 6 months of age should not exceed 1,000 IU per day while infants 6 to 12 months should not have more than 1,500 IU, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Children ages 1 to 3 years should not exceed 2,500 IUs while children ages 4 to 8 should not exceed 3,000 IU. Those older than age 9 should not exceed 4,000 IU per day. Remember these are the tolerable upper intake levels -- not the recommended daily levels, which are about 400 IU per day for ages 9 and up, according to "Scientific American."
Sun Exposure
Exposure to the sun can stimulate your body to produce vitamin D. However, the amount of sun exposure you get is not a factor in your recommended intake since daily sun exposure can vary. While an upper limit for vitamin D supplementation has been set, there have been no vitamin D toxicity effects observed from sun exposure alone, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.
Considerations
If you are very vitamin D deficient and experiencing symptoms like bone softening, your physician may recommend taking vitamin D supplements that exceed the 4,000 IU recommendation, according to Medline Plus. This is typically only a short-time solution to remedy vitamin D deficiency. Increase your vitamin D intake to this level only under your physician's supervision.
Effects
An upper limit for vitamin D was set because excess amounts in the body can cause very high calcium levels to build up in your blood. This can result in calcifications developing in your blood vessels and tissues, which can damage your heart, kidneys and blood vessels. In addition to this side effect, you also may experience weight loss, irregular heartbeat or polyuria, which causes you to urinate excessively and/or frequently.
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