What vitamins can be hard on the kidneys? Vitamins like A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble and can be hard on the kidneys. Water-soluble vitamins like C, B12, B9, etc. are unlikely to cause toxicity or any side effects.
A high-dose B complex supplement (with 1,000 mcg of B-12) hurt, rather than helped, people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and advanced kidney disease, resulting in a worsening of kidney function and an increase in the risk of heart attack, stroke and death.
Vitamin B12
2-3 ug/day supplement recommended for CKD (dialysis and non-dialysis); deficiency can cause permanent nerve damage. Always include B12 supplement with folate.
You may need to avoid some vitamins and minerals if you have kidney disease. Some of these include vitamins A, E and K.
Safety and side effects
Your body absorbs only as much as it needs, and any excess passes through your urine. High doses of vitamin B-12, such as those used to treat a deficiency, might cause: Headache. Nausea and vomiting.
If you have any of the following health problems, consult your doctor or pharmacist before using this medication: a certain eye disease (Leber's optic neuropathy), a certain blood disorder (polycythemia vera), gout, iron or folic acid deficiency anemia, low potassium blood levels (hypokalemia).
CKD patients have greater requirements for some water soluble vitamins. Special renal vitamins are usually prescribed to kidney patients to provide the extra water soluble vitamins needed. Renal vitamins contain vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, folic acid, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin and a small dose of vitamin C.
In diabetes patients with advanced kidney disease, high daily doses of B vitamins (folate, B6 and B12) were found in one study to worsen kidney function and double the risk of heart attack stroke and death (see the Cautions section of the B Vitamins Review for more information).
Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is naturally found in animal foods. It can also be added to foods or supplements. Vitamin B12 is needed to form red blood cells and DNA. It is also a key player in the function and development of brain and nerve cells.
An abnormally high vitamin B-12 status can be an early sign of liver disease, diabetes, or certain types of leukemia.
The common forms of vitamin B include vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine) and B12 (cyanocobalamin). Except for niacin (when given in high doses), there is no evidence that the other B vitamins, in physiologic or even super-physiologic high doses cause liver injury or jaundice.
The calcium antagonistic effect of magnesium is also important for reducing the risk of kidney stones, and silent kidney stones significantly increase the risk of kidney failure. As low magnesium intake will reduce the urinary magnesium concentration, the beneficial effect of magnesium on stone formation is hampered.
There are certain health supplements that contain restricted drugs or components that can harm the liver. You should avoid those supplements containing aloe vera, black cohosh, cascara, chaparral, comfrey, ephedra, or kava.
B12 (also known as cobalamin) is essential for keeping your brain and nerves healthy and for making DNA and red blood cells. B12 also helps lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked (in high levels) to dementia, heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis.
Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that helps keep your body's blood and nerve cells healthy and helps make DNA, the genetic material in all of your cells. Vitamin B12 also helps prevent megaloblastic anemia, a blood condition that makes people tired and weak.
Recent reports suggest that, along with a B12-rich diet, consuming 500 micrograms of B12 in the form of a supplement may help individuals over 65 maintain healthy vitamin B12 levels [2]. Taking a vitamin B12 supplement may even help reverse a B12 deficiency and its symptoms, which can include: Fatigue.