Safety of higher dosages - Vitamins & Supplements Message Board

kmn · 03-09-2003, 12:30 AM

I don't want to um "super dose?" I just have heard from many many sources that the RDA's just aren't high enough.......and I figure if it's safe and not causing side effects, I'll take a higher dose. I just can't find any info on the upper limits? or safety zones of too many vitamins. I've heard that you can't really um "OD" on B's and that A, C, E, and was it zinc? were the ones you had to watch out for. Anyone have a good source for info on this?
Thank u much

Harry · 03-09-2003, 08:46 AM

The body was using vitamins long before they were discovered. But, these days our food that we eat is overly processed that there is in many foods not enough of what you need.

There are some vitamins that you just can't get or your body does not produce. You have to take Vit-C because you need it and the only way to get it is by taking it. The RDA is 60 mgms daily but it's a water soluble vitamin and the amount your body doesn't use is passed off in your urine. 500 mgms is certainly OK.

Vitamin E is one that has been processed out of most food ---so you need to take it --at least 400 to 800 IUs is OK.

Vitamin D is obtain by sweating and then going in the sun and the oil is absorbed back in the skin. It sort of difficult to get enough--- we don't sweat and during winter months there certainly isn't much sun out in some areas.

Vit A is probably the only vitamin that is toxic ---it is stored in the liver. The daily requirement is 5000 IUs. It does not become dangerous until you take 100,000 daily for some time. I read that there has only been one person to suffer from Vit A toxicity??? I think the vit in above 10,000 IUs has been removed from the market. Beta-carotene is used to make Vit A ---it has to be converted to Vit A in your liver and you can't overdose on it but you have to have a healthy LIVER.

There are also others that you need like Magnesium , Calcium that you need to take.

I hope this help some---Harry

Farmer Sue Tickle · 03-09-2003, 04:50 PM

As far as the vitamins go, it's only the fat soluble ones which have upper toxicity levels; everything else is just urinated away.

The fat soluble ones are D and A, I believe (you should check, though).

The RDAs are designed to prevent what we might call 'old-fashioned' disease, like scurvy (C) and ricketts (D). Our need has grown more not just because of poor food sources as a result of modern agriculture (as described earlier) but also because we're more aware of the therapeutic benefits also. Therapeutic C has been implicated in cancer and AIDS as well as general longevity, and D in immune function modulation in autoimmune neurodegenerative diseases.

Hope this helps!

kmn · 03-09-2003, 08:59 PM

Thanks, both of you! Exactly what I needed to know.

kmn · 03-10-2003, 12:24 AM

If I take vitamin A, in the form of beta-carotene (and palmitate

) can this become toxic if over 10,000 IU's? I want to take this b-complex that has 1,500 IU's (in the form of beta carotene) and possibly some other formulas containing more (also beta carotene form) but my multi has 10,000 IU's in it already

. I do have a healthy liver (as far as I know, I don't think it's been tested though

) but I am on some medications. I also eat a basically vegetarian diet, (I don't like the texture of meat, but I do crave it once in a while) if that matters. Don't want to OD on vitamins

and the stuff I found on beta carotene said it wasn't recommended as a supplement even though it's safer

.
Thanks

[This message has been edited by kmn (edited 03-10-2003).]

[This message has been edited by kmn (edited 03-10-2003).]