Vitamin D is important for the body. If there is a deficiency, it can lead to hair loss, muscle weakness and depression.
Many suffer from a deficiency, especially in winter. It’s no wonder that humans absorb this important vitamin mainly through the sun’s rays. In food, the vitamin can best be absorbed by eating fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel or herring and some types of mushrooms.
Or you take supplements to have enough vitamin D in your body. This is exactly what a middle-aged man in Britain wanted. But the plan backfired. He ended up in the hospital because of a vitamin D overdose, a so-called hypervitaminosis D. He had taken 20 different supplements as a vitamin cocktail, as the journal “BMJ Case Reports” called.
Consumed 375 times the recommended amount
Unbelievable: His nutritionist had advised him to do so. The Briton had looked for a supposed expert following he had been made aware of dietary supplements on the radio. The only problem was that he ended up with a charlatan and not a certified nutritionist. Because the profession is not protected. In the UK, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist.
At his suggestion, the Briton took 50,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D three times a day. That’s 375 times the recommended amount. According to the British Health System (NHS), a vitamin D intake of 400 IU per day is completely sufficient.
So it didn’t take long for the overdose to make itself felt. Within a month the man was suffering from nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea and repeated bouts of vomiting, leg cramps and tinnitus.
He’s still in treatment
Finally, the Brit had to go to the hospital. By that time he had already lost 12.7 kilograms and his kidneys were no longer working properly. Tests quickly revealed a clearer picture. The result: His vitamin D level was dramatically increased!
The man then spent a full eight days in the hospital and received medication to lower the calcium level in his blood. Because a vitamin D overdose is usually caused by an excess of calcium in the blood, because vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium through the intestines.
At a follow-up examination two months later, it turned out that the man’s vitamin D level was still too high, but had already improved significantly. He is still receiving treatment until his levels return to normal.
As the authors of the report note, the Briton is an isolated case. However, the danger of excessive vitamin D consumption should not be underestimated. Because there is a growing trend towards hypervitaminosis D worldwide. (ced)
