Vitamin D And Its Side Effects

by Anna Mortis


Under normal circumstances and dosages, vitamin D is tolerated very well, and side effects are not common at all. Vitamin D side effects are more likely to be linked to a deficiency in the vitamin, rather than cases where an overdose was taken. However, there are some people who may be hypersensitive to the vitamin due to medical conditions.

In very rare cases, vitamin D hypersensitivity may occur, but it is normally caused by medical conditions such as hyperparathyroidism, sarcoidosis, granulamatous TB, carcinoma and other cancers. Patients with any of the above should only consider a vitamin D supplement program in consultation with their doctor. It might be wise to undergo regular blood tests to ensure that the levels of vitamin D in the blood stay within normal range to avoid vitamin D side effects due to overdose or deficiency.

It is important to note an overdose with concurrent vitamin D side effects can never be the result of too much sunlight. Your body has a mechanism that stops the process of manufacturing vitamin D when enough for your body's use has been manufactured. Overdosing is normally the result of supplementation, rather than ingesting vitamin D via food sources or sun exposure. Vitamin D can be stored in the body's fat cells for up to sixty days.

Because vitamin D has primarily the function of encouraging calcium absorption, high levels of calcium in the blood, leading to excessive calcium in the intestinal tract is possible. Your internal organs can be permanently damaged by these high levels of calcium.

Other side effects of overdosing can include bone pain, fatigue, thirst, and excessive production of urine. Loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting are also known vitamin D side effects. Kidney stones can also result form ingesting too much vitamin D which again leads to excessive calcium in the system.

Pregnant females should be especially careful when supplementing with vitamin D, as another side effect can be damage to the fetus, resulting in abnormalities - physical and mental - in the baby.

Most healthcare practitioners are more concerned with the vitamin D side effects as a result of a deficiency, rather than as a result of an overdose - research actually indicates that 70% of Americans, for instance, are vitamin D deficient.

Children who are vitamin D deficient are prone to rickets, which results in stunted growth and deformed long bones. There is certainly also a link between vitamin D deficiency and osteoporosis, a condition that is characterized by reduced bone density and concurrent fragility of the bone.

There seems to be a link between various diseases and sufficient vitamin D levels. Vitamin D has been linked to depression, various cancers, boosting the immune system, cardiovascular disease. It remains essential to your good health.

How to check if your vitamin D levels are sufficient? A simple blood test to measure your blood calcidiol level can show if your vitamin D levels are sufficient for optimum body function. However, ensuring that you get 15-20 minutes of sunlight three times a week should be sufficient to ensure that your body creates the vitamin D it needs. Dietary sources include cod liver oil, fatty fish species, eggs, liver and mushrooms.




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