You’ve heard that vitamin D is important. It’s true that you need vitamin D to help your body absorb calcium. It’s one of those nutrients that many of us tend to be deficient in and can cause a lot of health problems, including rickets and osteoporosis.
This fact leads to many people choosing to take vitamin D supplements. At the same time, they’ll stand out in the sun and drink fortified milk. After all, you can’t have too much of a good thing, right?
Well, this is where you’re wrong. It is possible to have too much vitamin D. You will get a few signs if there is a problem with your intake. Here’s a look at seven side effects that you should look out for to tell you if your vitamin D consumption is too high.
Why the Body Needs Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an essential part of a healthy body. Without it, the body will struggle to absorb the calcium that you intake through your food. It doesn’t matter how much calcium you take in through food, your body isn’t going to gain all the benefits. You can experience weak bones and teeth because of this.
Some vitamin D can also protect against some sun damage. This is vitamin D3, which is one of the most common types of vitamin D supplements.
The great news is that unlike vitamin C the body is able to store vitamin D. It is stored in the fat and used at a later date. The bad news is that the storage is where we end up taking in too much in a short period of time. We don’t realize that we have some of the vitamins already in our bodies waiting to be used.
Doesn’t this mean a healthy amount on a daily basis end up being dangerous? Well, when you take in a healthy and recommended amount of vitamin D (we’ll get onto that), you only store in the receptors and proteins. These aren’t made available for later use. If you take in too much, your receptors become full, and the rest of your body needs to tackle the vitamin D.
Your Blood Toxicity Levels Are Too High
One of the first side effects will usually be noted by your doctor first. Vitamin D helps to boost immunity and protects the body from disease, which means that some of the effects are of the blood.
Can you have too much Vitamin D? It’s no lie that getting too much of something is poisonous. Even too much of something good becomes poisonous within the bloodstream. Toxicity levels end up way too high. These toxicity levels will spread to the organs, preventing the whole body from working effectively. In fact, there can be issues like fatigue and forgetfulness linked to the toxicity problems.
Your doctor will be able to check for this by testing your blood levels. There will be signs of poisonous effects right away.
High Levels of Calcium in Your Body
Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. This is beneficial for your bones and teeth, but it is possible to get too much. High levels of calcium are visible to your naked eye if you know where to look.
By taking too much vitamin D, you encourage your body to absorb every element of calcium it takes in. This can be dangerous, as you can end up taking in far too much.
Digestive problems are among the most common problems linked to too much calcium in the system. You can feel stomach cramps on a regular basis and may experience some nausea and vomiting.
There are also some symptoms that mimic diabetes. You can suffer from dizzy spells and excessive thirst or frequent urination. Your body is working against itself to keep it safe and healthy.
Unfortunately, you can end up being misdiagnosed—or your doctor will spend a lot of time looking at other causes for the dizziness or urination. You’ll go through glucose tests to make sure this isn’t an issue before looking at other causes.
You may be able to tell if you have high levels of calcium by looking at your nails. Sometimes there will be white spots that appear within the pink.
Digestive Issues Are Highly Common
Even if you’re not suffering from high levels of calcium absorption, you can still end up with digestive issues. The digestion is one of the most fragile parts of your body. Almost everything will seem to upset it!
The truth is that your digestive system has 80% of your immune system. This is where bacteria and yeast fester, and even just the slightest diet change can cause it to react differently temporarily. When it comes to vitamin D consumption, too much of the vitamin can cause the digestive system to go a little haywire.
Nausea and stomach cramps are among the most common side effects of too much vitamin D. you can also find yourself losing a lot of weight rapidly. This isn’t healthy, even if you’re trying to lose weight because you’re obese. A lot of weight in a short space of time leads to the loss of muscle mass, water, bone density, and other nutrients.
You can also have some cardiovascular problems because of rapid weight loss. Your body needs you to lose it slowly and carefully, even when you’re dangerously overweight.
Constipation and Diarrhea Are Possibilities
Again, your digestive system is affected by consuming too much of anything. It will struggle to form solid stools or may make it near impossible to pass any stools at all. This then leads to other stomach pain, as your digestive system tries to rectify the problem or ends up with a backlog of wind.
These are symptoms that have been noted in children who were given high levels of vitamin D by their parents. In one case, the consumption was more than 10 times the recommended amount! Symptoms disappeared when the supplement was removed from the diet.
It is likely that the stomach issues are linked to high levels of calcium. However, it can also be linked to the body’s inability to absorb other nutrients. The digestive system may not be able to take in enough fiber to soften the stools, causing constipation.
There Is a Loss of Bone Density
Calcium is a requirement for strong bones. Considering vitamin D helps calcium absorb into the body, this side effect can seem a little strange. It seems even weirder to consider the bone loss as a side effect when we’ve already discussed the calcium levels being too high.
Well, too much vitamin D can actually negatively affect the bones. Too much vitamin D can mean that there isn’t enough vitamin K in the body. The vitamin K, especially vitamin K2, helps to keep the calcium levels out of the blood and put it on the bones. So, not only is vitamin D needed, but vitamin K2 is essential to get the calcium in the right place. There’s no point having a lot of calcium absorbed into the body if it ends up in the blood instead of the bones!
Since the bones aren’t getting the mineral they need, they start to disintegrate, and the cells die and don’t repair. The bones weaken, and you’re at a higher risk of bone diseases. Rickets, osteoporosis, and bone cancer are all more likely to occur.
You can add more vitamin K2 supplements to your body to protect your bones. However, you will also want to remove some of the excess vitamin D to help support the whole system.
The Muscles Will Feel Weaker and Fatigued
Fatigue is common when you have too much vitamin D. This is linked to the calcium being in the bloodstream, instead of in the bones. The muscles don’t get the other nutrients that they need, especially the iron and protein for the building.
Fatigue is a side effect of some problems. It’s one of the most overlooked symptoms and usually, leads to misdiagnosing of conditions. Doctors will consider iron levels first, and then magnesium levels or selenium levels can also be considered. This is if you haven’t been ill or may be coming down with a viral infection, which will zap your energy levels.
You may feel like you have the flu symptoms at first. The muscles tend to feel heavy and lethargic. You can feel some pain in them and may find that nothing eases that pain. Some people find that warm water helps, but the pain and tiredness come straight back.
The Kidneys Start to Fail
Remember that you’re frequently urinating because of the toxicity in your blood. Your kidneys have to work much harder than they had to in the past, and this can lead to overworking. There have been cases where the kidneys have completely failed due to too much vitamin D.
Too much calcium can also lead to calcium stones forming within the kidneys. At the same time, the body tries to get rid of the extra toxins, but more are being created at a higher rate. Your kidneys are working double time without the extra support.
The majority of studies state that vitamin D toxicity leads to some type of kidney failure. This can lead to patients being placed on dialysis until they get a necessary kidney transplant, depending on the severity.
Knowing You’re Getting Too Much Vitamin D
Just how much is too much? You need to know what your levels should be since you can test for them with home kits. Your doctor will also want to know your levels regularly, but won’t always explain the numbers on the dials.
The currently recommended about of vitamin D is 4,000 IU per day. You can get this from the sun on a daily basis. Just 15 minutes in the sun without sunscreen is enough to get your daily amount. Most countries that suffer from dark winters will have vitamin D added to cow’s milk and to some vegan alternatives to help protect families. The formula for babies is usually fortified with vitamin D, too.
If you get naturally enough, there’s no need to take supplements. However, there are some who will take them just in case.
If you get more than 10,000 IU per day, you run the risk of developing a toxicity problem. This is especially the case if you take this amount every single day for three months or longer.
Most studies have shown that some people can handle the 10,000 IU per day or less. The toxicity problem has become a major issue when someone takes 40,000 IU per day. This is 10 times the recommended amount! You only need to take this amount for a couple of months, and you will start to experience the symptoms of too much vitamin D consumption above. There are some who have taken more than 300,000 IU of vitamin D in one 24 hour period, leading to some serious side effects.
Your body will find it hard to get rid of vitamin D if you take too much. It dissolves into the fat, which we know is difficult to get rid of. This means that the liver produces too much 25(OH)D, which is a natural chemical to help with the absorption of calcium. Your doctor will be able to check this through a blood test.
If your test shows positive for vitamin D toxicity, your doctor will order other tests and encourage you to seek other medical treatment. It is important to get rid of the excess vitamin D to protect the rest of the body.
Watch out for the amount of vitamin D you get and check for any side effects, especially if you are taking supplements. Too much vitamin D is dangerous. It leads to toxicity in the blood, and that can lead to nausea, stomach pain, and bone loss. You need to seek medical advice if you are worried, especially if you realize that you’ve taken a lot more than the recommended amount for a long period of time.
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Can you have too much vitamin d. If you are looking to Build Muscle then you want more than only just a solid strategy in the fitness center. Can you have too much vitamin d. Muscle can’t be built with workouts alone. Can you have too much vitamin d. The best Muscle Gaining Meals for your diet will include a full range of different proteins within your diet. Can you have too much vitamin d.
Best Protein Sources and Can you have too much vitamin d.
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How Much Protein and Can you have too much vitamin d.
If you are looking to gain muscle fast then you even need to make sure you are getting enough protein in your diet. Can you have too much vitamin d. A general guideline is to 1st work out your lean body weight. Can you have too much vitamin d. That’s how much you would weigh if you stripped every one of the fat off of your body. Can you have too much vitamin d. If you know what your body fat percent is then you can figure out that number to the pound. If you don’t know what your body fat percentage is that is o.k. because you can come very close. Can you have too much vitamin d. Work out what you believe your ideal body weight would be plus then subtract about ten-fifteen pounds. Can you have too much vitamin d. Take this number and that is the minimum of amount of protein in grams that you just should be taking in on a daily basis. Can you have too much vitamin d. So if your lean body weight is 185 pounds you need at least 185 grams of protein per day to gain muscle fast. Can you have too much vitamin d. If you are falling short of this number then you will need to begin eating more muscle building foods. If you are a more intermediate or advanced lifter you may need 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body weight per day. Can you have too much vitamin d. So for a 185 pound lifter you’d need 277 grams of protein for optimal rapid mass gains.
5-six Servings of Protein Spaced Out Through the Day and Can you have too much vitamin d.
Don’t sit down in 3 meals and cram all of this protein in. Can you have too much vitamin d. You should be eating every three-4 hours plus including a serving of protein in that meal. Can you have too much vitamin d.
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