People all over the world take dietary supplements to be more vital, healthier and more beautiful. Even a Brit follows the advice of a nutritionist and pays a high price for it.
A man required hospital treatment for weeks of nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and leg cramps. His family doctor didn’t know what to do and referred him there. The symptoms did not improve even after weeks and he had already lost more than 12 kilograms of body weight. He also reported constant thirst.
The attending physicians at the William Harvey Hospital in East Kent, Great Britain, who report on the case in the specialist journal “BMJ Case Reports”, set out to find the cause. They found significantly increased levels of calcium and magnesium in their patient’s blood. However, the vitamin D level was particularly striking, it was about seven times higher than normal. Based on the laboratory values ??and the middle-aged man’s symptoms, the doctors were able to quickly make a diagnosis: hypervitaminosis D, i.e. poisoning caused by taking too much vitamin D.
The patient himself said that he heard about dietary supplements on a radio talk show and then contacted the nutritionist who was speaking on the show. After a visit to the dietitian, the man began taking more than 20 over-the-counter supplements daily, including 50,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D three times a day. Although maximum doses vary by agency, 50,000 IU is many times what is normally recommended should take.
“Regulatory registration is not compulsory for dietitians in the UK and their title is not protected, so anyone can practice as a dietitian,” explained case study co-author Dr. Alamin Alkundi to it.
Because vitamin D – like vitamins A, E and K – is stored in the liver, fat cells and muscle tissue, overdosing increases the risk of poisoning the body. An overdose of vitamin D leads to increased absorption of calcium from the intestine, which is reabsorbed from the kidneys and released from the bones. This process damages the kidneys and can even lead to kidney failure. The increased calcium level in the blood in turn leads to high blood pressure and fatigue. Stomach ulcers or cardiac arrhythmias can also be the result of a vitamin D overdose. Even psychoses have been observed.
“Excessively high intake of vitamin D causes increased calcium levels (hypercalcemia) in the body, which can lead to acute nausea, loss of appetite, abdominal cramps, vomiting or, in severe cases, to kidney damage, cardiac arrhythmias, unconsciousness and death. Because vitamin D is stored in the body In addition to an acute overdose, a gradual overdose is also possible,” writes the Robert Koch Institute. Poisoning via the body’s own vitamin D formation and natural nutrition, on the other hand, cannot be achieved.
The man in the UK became ill within a month due to a dramatic vitamin D overdose. Although he stopped taking all supplements after four weeks because of the symptoms, he continued to feel poorly. His condition became so serious that he had to be hospitalized two months later.
The man in the UK was treated with medication in hospital for eight days. The doctors wanted to lower the calcium level in their patient’s blood as quickly as possible. At the follow-up visit two months later, the doctors treating him found that the man’s blood calcium levels had dropped to almost normal levels. Although the vitamin D level has also improved significantly, it is still high, says Dr. Alamin Alkundi quoted by CNN. The man is feeling better, but is still not as fit as before, Alkundi explained.
With their case report, the doctors want to warn. “Worldwide there is a medically unjustified trend towards vitamin D and the corresponding hypervitaminosis,” they write. Even preparations that are classified as safe and harmless could lead to poisoning if they were taken in the wrong dose or in the wrong combination.
(This article was first published on Friday, July 08, 2022.)
