Can you take too much Vitamin D?
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Most of us have Vitamin D deficiency at the moment. Vitamin D deficiency can cause fatigue, bone pain, weakness, and depression. One way to combat this is by taking Vitamin D supplements, but can you take too much Vitamin D?
Vitamin D regulates the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body.
We get Vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors, but between October and March we don’t get enough of it from the sun.
This means we have to try and get Vitamin D from food, such as oily fish, red meat, and egg yolks.
Being deficient in Vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, or bone pain in adults.
READ MORE- What strength Vitamin D should I take?
Nutritionist Elizabeth Stewart from Vitl commented: “It’s thought that 60-90% of the general public are vitamin D deficient in the winter months anyway, with vulnerable age groups often finding it difficult to reach the levels they need to support a healthy immune system.
“Vitamin D is needed by the body to help fight off a myriad of health issues and recent research has shown that a deficiency in vitamin D may be a contributing factor to respiratory infections such as COVID-19.”
Elizabeth noted that it is very difficult to get Vitamin D from diet alone, since oily fish, mushrooms and other foods containing the vitamin only contain very small levels of the nutrient.
She said: “This is why it is so important, especially at this time of year, to look into supplementing vitamin D and this news should encourage people to look into this further.”
How much Vitamin D do we need?
Public Health England recommends supplementing 10ug of vitamin D a day between October and early March in the UK (throughout the darker months).
Elizabeth explained: “Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin which means that for best absorption it should be consumed with high-fat foods.
“With that in mind, look for high-strength vitamin D supplements that are formulated with high-fat food, such as Vitl’s offering which includes sunflower oil to maximise absorption.
“Always read the label and try to avoid supplements with fillers and bulking agents too.”
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Babies up to the age of 1 year need 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day.
Children from the age of 1 year and adults need 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day.
This includes pregnant and breastfeeding women and people at risk of vitamin D deficiency.
A microgram is 1,000 times smaller than a milligram (mg).
The word microgram is sometimes written with the Greek symbol μ followed by the letter g (μg), and you’ll notice this symbol on the packaging.
Can you take too much Vitamin D?
You can take too much Vitamin D and doing so can be dangerous.
The NHS site explains that taking too many Vitamin D supplements cause too much calcium to build up in the body.
This can weaken bones and damage the kidneys and the heart.
All adults and children aged between 11 and 18 should never take more than 100 micrograms of Vitamin D a day.
Children aged between one and 10 shouldn’t have more than 50 micrograms a day, and infants under 12 months shouldn’t have more than 25 micrograms a day.
If your doctor has recommended you take a different amount than recommended above, follow their advice.
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