We mentioned in our “Is taking vitamin supplement necessary?” that there is so called vitamin toxicity. This happens when someone has more than enough to the extent where there is bad effect on him or her. Overdose can happen in minerals too.
Before we start
Quick fact for you – vitamin and mineral toxicity can hardly occur in someone even if they eat multivitamin pills and fortified foods.
Fact #2: The value of nutrient needed daily is in Dietary Reference Intake
Symptoms with respective vitamin&mineral overdose
Here, we have come out with a table of symptoms with the respective vitamin overdose as below.
| Vitamin | Overdose effect |
| A | Drowsiness, headache, vomiting, excessive skin peeling. |
| D | Nausea, headache, vomiting. |
| E | Nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramp, headache, weakness. |
| B1 | Headache, insomnia, weakness, irritability. |
| B2 | Yellow discolouration of urine. |
| B3 | Stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, flushing. |
| B5 | Diarrhea, edema. |
| B6 | Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, headache, appetite loss. |
| B9 | Irritability. |
| C | Diarrhea, nausea, insomnia and kidney stone. |
Table 1: Vitamins with its overdose effects.
| Mineral | Overdose effect |
| Calcium | Constipation. |
| Phosphorus | Irregular heart beat rate. |
| Sodium | Edema. |
| Magnesium | Diarrhea, vomiting, nausea. |
| Iron | Vomiting, diarrhea. |
| Selenium | Garlic odor, diarrhea, nausea. |
| Copper | Headache, depression. |
Table 2: Minerals with its overdose effect.
The vitamins/minerals not mentioned are generally safe or there is no standard for the amount to be classified as overdose or there is no obvious physical characteristics to be identified.
It can be noticed that the effects are almost the same (although we have omitted those that might need instrumental measurement like hyperglycemia).
Be healthy
We all want ourselves to be at optimal health, but getting too much vitamin is just not good especially when you are paying for the vitamins pills that you already had enough of!
References
- Cari, N. (2011, January 25). Getting Too Much of Vitamins And Minerals. Retrieved 7 November 2019, from https://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/effects-of-taking-too-many-vitamins#1
- (2016, March 26). Mineral Overdoses Can Be Toxic, Even Deadly. Retrieved 7 November 2019, from https://www.dummies.com/health/nutrition/mineral-overdoses-can-be-toxic-even-deadly/
- Eric, W. (2003). Too much of a good thing? Toxic effects of vitamin and mineral supplements.Canadian Medical Association Journal,169(1),47-48.
- Erica, O. (2019, Jun 2). Vitamin and Mineral Supplements. Retrieved 7 November 2019, from https://www.emedicinehealth.com/vitamin_and_mineral_supplements/article_em.htm#what_facts_should_i_know_about_vitamins_and_minerals
- Yulia, Z., Michael, P. and Robert, K. (n.d.). Part IV: Case-Based Teaching Modules. Retrieved 7 November 2019, from https://www.downstate.edu/Karp/vitahorm1684.html
- https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/hand”>Hand photo created by jcomp – www.freepik.com
