Dangers of High Dose Vitamins

[StanLee]

Saw this programme on UK tv last night detailing the adverse effects of taking some types of high dose vitamins.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/prog_summary.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/listings/programme.shtml?day=thursday&service_id=4224&filename=20040916/20040916_2100_4224_26828_50

Does anyone here take high dose vitamins?

What suppliments do you take?

[Mandeigh Wells]

didn't see the prog......

but yes I take high doses of some vits......I have PCOS so I need to suppliment with Vit B complex, Chromium, Co enzyme Q10, and CLA along with some dietary considerations.
I also take 1000mg vit c or sometimes 2000mg if I am near people with a cold or run down and so far I have managed to avoid the cold..........unless I have had a drop off after a stress phase and then nothing stops it...usually Christmas when I am on holiday!. :rolleyes:

[StanLee]

Mandeigh are you tread stalking me? :D :D :D

What is your condition?

I didn't see all of the programme so I don't know if they detailed vit B. But vit A in high doses has been seen to reduce bone density in both men and women.

I'm not sure about the other "chemicals" that you take as I don't know what they are (well I know chromium from my chemisty lab days).

[Mandeigh Wells]

Mandeigh are you tread stalking me? :up: be afraid...be very afraid!! :t2:
O have PCOS...polycystic ovarian syndrome....its an endocrine malfunction...I make loads of some hormonaes and not enough of others...I guess I am the original hormonal woman.....I have high levels of testosterone, and resistant to my own insulin, and have other interesting wee bits with it.....like high chloresterol, but not from dierty fat, but from stress hormones......its a really fun way to live! :rolleyes:

whats the natural source of Vit A......?I am not sure why people would be taking that one.....its not one of my ones :D

[Skye]

Carrots are high vitamin A.

It's pretty unlikely you are going to eat large enough amounts of carrots over the long term to the point to cause any trouble mind you.

[Mandeigh Wells]

what would people be looking to suupliment Vit A for.......is there a specific condition etc?

[Skye]

Well it gets converted to a molecule called retinal, which is what picks up light in your eyes. So it's obviously important for vision. I'm not sure if there's actually any significant problem with excessive concumption of it though, or whether it was just an example of how high dosages of vitamins can cause problems.

[jjaje]

I have a theory, to which I have no evidence, but it makes some logical sense to me.

We will see an increase in the number of people who get, and also the recurrence, of kidney stones and other similar objects in people who take a lot of supplements.

Just a theory, but eventually I will search for a correlation.

[StanLee]

what would people be looking to suupliment Vit A for.......is there a specific condition etc?

Hello net stalker Mandeigh Wells!

Can't remember why the people on that programme were taking high dosage of Vit A, but there is a correlation to the high vit A diet in sweden and their high rate of osteoporosis.

[Peter Rehse]

Just a quick note

Fat soluable vitamins like A, D and E can be a real problem if you take them as supplements. The B vitamins and C just go out with urine if you have an excess (C can actually be metabolized for energy) but the others can build up in the tissues and cause toxicity leading to acute liver failure. The old story why the Inuit don't eat polar bear livers - apparently dogs and humans have a problem, bears don't.

There are conditions such as blindness where deficiency in Vitamin A can be blamed but normally proper diet is all you need.

Mega doses of even the water soluable vitamins can cause problems. Vitamin C for instance can cause kidney and intestinal problems.

My diet as a University student was not great - I made sure I took multiple vitamins but the idea that more is good so even more must be better is wrong.

My advice is consult a doctor is you want to take more than the one a day type of supplement especially when that includes vitamins A, D or E. Vitamin C I recommend a max of 500 mg per day.

[Spartan]

With vits, you have to overdose by 5-10 X the RDA over an extended period (weeks and months) in order to get into trouble.


------
Kenneth Ku

[Peter Rehse]

With vits, you have to overdose by 5-10 X the RDA over an extended period (weeks and months) in order to get into trouble.

Yes the RDA tends to be conservative with respect to safety yet more than adequet with respect to need. Problem is there are people that do overdose because of the vitamins are good therefore more is better logic.

[Spartan]

Well, some people are simply unfit for survival. They are simply not equipped with the basic intelligence necessary to navigate through life.