If you’re one of the many adults in the United States who take one or more supplements each day, you may wonder if it’s possible to take too many vitamins. The amount of vitamins you can take in a day depends on your supplements and the amount of vitamins you already take in your diet. Combining too many supplements or taking more than the recommended dosage can increase the risk of overdose.
Keep in mind that the Food and Drug Administration does not require supplements to be tested for effectiveness or safety before they go on the market. Always consult your health care professional before taking any new supplements. They will tell you how much of each nutrient you need. Learn more about how to take supplements safely.
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Supplements come in a variety of forms, including capsules, gummies, powders, and tablets. Some manufacturers add nutrients to drinks and energy drinks. Always check with your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement. The Food and Drug Administration does not verify whether supplements are effective or safe before they go on the market.
Supplements may be needed if you cannot meet your daily intake goals for certain minerals and vitamins through diet alone. Still, many people get enough minerals and vitamins from a nutrient-dense diet.
“The average healthy person probably doesn’t need a multivitamin, multimineral supplement,” said Beth Kitchin, Ph.D., RDN, assistant professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. health. “In addition to this, you don’t need to take large amounts of additional supplements.”
There is a lack of evidence to show whether supplements can help prevent or treat health conditions. For example, a study published in 2018 found that They found that regular supplement use had no net effect on heart health or risk of early death. The researchers’ findings were also consistent with the multivitamins that people have touted for heart health: calcium, vitamin C and vitamin D.
“We found the effect to be surprisingly neutral,” said David Jenkins, MD, lead author of the 2018 study. health. So it looks like he didn’t do anything.
The 2018 study looked only at heart disease and early death. Some supplements can also help with bone, eye, and skin health. For example, calcium and vitamin D can help prevent bone loss, especially in people who are at high risk for osteoporosis. Pregnant people can benefit from taking folic acid and minimize the risk of birth defects.
Taking too many supplements can have negative effects or cost you too much money. Some minerals and vitamins can build up in the blood over time, increasing the risk of overdosing. Overdose can occur accidentally. Some manufacturers fortify foods and beverages with nutrients, so you may not know how much you’re consuming.
“It’s not really possible to get toxic amounts of nutrients from food, but it’s absolutely possible to get toxic amounts through supplements,” Kitchin says. “We learned a very important lesson in that separating these nutrients from food and consuming them in very high doses can have unintended consequences.”
Vitamin B and vitamin K do not usually cause toxicity, but too much of any nutrient can. Some of the most serious risks of overdosing come from calcium and iron supplements. For example, too much calcium in your blood or urine can increase your risk of heart disease and prostate cancer. Too much iron can cause coma, low blood pressure, and damage the intestines and liver.
Other vitamins that can be taken in excess include:
- Vitamin A: Taking too much vitamin A can lead to coma and death in severe cases and can also be harmful to pregnant and breastfeeding people. Excess vitamin A can also harm the fetus during pregnancy, causing abnormal development of the eyes, heart, lungs, and skull.
- Vitamin D: Vitamin D increases the amount of calcium your intestines absorb. As a result, there can be excess calcium in the blood and urine.
- Vitamin E: Too much vitamin E can increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke or sudden bleeding in the brain.
The Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has established tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) for many minerals and vitamins. FNB has not established a UL for vitamin K due to the low toxicity risk.
The UL indicates how much of each nutrient you can consume without harming your health. Her UL for one nutrient may vary depending on age.
Below are the ULs for the most common supplements for men and women aged 0 months to over 71 years, whether pregnant or breastfeeding.
| Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-6 months | 7-12 months | 1-3 years | 4-8 years | 9-13 years old | 14-18 years old | 19-50 years old | 51-70 years old | 71 years old or older | |
| calcium | 1,000mg | 1,500mg | 2,500mg | 2,500mg | 3,000mg | 3,000mg | 2,500mg | 2,000mg | 2,000mg |
| iron | 40mg | 40mg | 40mg | 40mg | 40mg | 45mg | 45mg | 45mg | 45mg |
| vitamin A | 600mcg | 600mcg | 600mcg | 900mcg | 1,700mcg | 2,800mcg | 3,000mcg | 3,000mcg | 3,000mcg |
| vitamin D | 25mcg | 38mcg | 63mcg | 75mcg | 100mcg | 100mcg | 100mcg | 100mcg | 100mcg |
| vitamin E | Not applicable | Not applicable | 200mg | 300mg | 600mg | 800mg | 1,000mg | 1,000mg | 1,000mg |
Consuming too much of one nutrient can cause overdose symptoms. It is important not to force yourself or anyone else to vomit unless directed to do so by your health care provider.
Taking too many multivitamins usually causes the following symptoms:
- bone, joint, or muscle pain
- cloudy urine
- diarrhea
- dry and cracked lips and skin
- headache
- irregular or fast heartbeat
- Changes in mood (e.g. irritability)
- nausea and vomiting
- seizure
- stomach pain
Some minerals and vitamins can cause certain symptoms. For example, too much iron can cause dark, bloody diarrhea and weakness, and too much vitamin A can cause blurred vision and dizziness. Too much calcium or vitamin D in the blood can lead to loss of appetite, kidney stones, and muscle weakness.
Always consult your healthcare provider or pharmacist before taking any new supplements. They can tell you if a supplement can help prevent or treat a health condition, or if it may pose a safety risk. Be sure to ask what dosage is best for you and when is the best time to take the supplement. Recommended dosage and timing may vary from person to person.
Tell your health care provider if you:
- Scheduled to undergo surgery
- breastfeeding
- pregnant
Be aware that supplements may interact with medications you are taking. For example, vitamin A can reduce the effectiveness of the blood thinner warfarin. Vitamin E can make some chemotherapy treatments less effective.
Combining multiple supplements or taking more than recommended doses can increase the risk of harm, Kitchin said. To lower your risk of overdosing, try to look for a multivitamin that doesn’t exceed 100% of your daily intake of any one nutrient to avoid overdosing, says Kitchin.
In any case, it’s important to focus on getting nutrients from food first, rather than supplements, Dr. “It’s not a substitute for a good meal.” These are packed with everything you need. ”
Safety tips for children
Approximately 35,000 children are treated in emergency rooms each year because they took medications at home or received the wrong dose from an adult. Dosing instructions for children are very different from those for adults. Dosages that are safe for adults may be toxic to children. Proper storage of vitamins at home is important to prevent children from accidentally ingesting toxic amounts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends:
- Store vitamins and medications in a safe place out of sight and reach of children.
- Always make sure the safety lock on the bottle is engaged.
- Put away vitamins and medicines immediately and keep them out of reach of your child.
- Remind guests to be careful about taking vitamins and medications.
- Find safe storage while traveling.
If you or a loved one exhibits symptoms of overdose, or if you think your child may be taking too much vitamins, seek immediate medical attention. Never force yourself or someone else to vomit unless directed to do so by your health care provider.
Call the Poison Help Hotline at 1-800-222-1222. This hotline is a free service available to anyone in the United States and connects you to your local poison control center. There is no emergency need to call the Poison Help hotline. Your local poison control center can provide information about supplements and their safety risks.
You may be asked to provide the following information about you or the person who has overdosed:
- Year
- health condition
- How many supplements did you take?
- Time you took the supplement
- Types and intake of supplements
- weight
It may be helpful to take a container of supplements to the emergency room. Health care providers can report side effects to supplements to the Food and Drug Administration.
Research has shown that taking large amounts of supplements does not provide any significant benefit and may even be harmful in some cases. Avoid combining too many supplements or taking more than recommended by the label or your healthcare provider.
People who eat a variety of nutritious foods live healthier and longer lives, so eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. If you are unsure whether a supplement will benefit you, ask your health care provider. If your diet is lacking in nutrients, we may advise you to take certain supplements in moderation.
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