High doses of vitamin D supplements over time can cause vitamin D toxicity. A condition called hypercalcaemia (where there is too much calcium in your blood) is the most common result of taking too much vitamin D. Signs of this condition include nausea, dehydration and constipation.
Yes, getting too much vitamin D can be harmful. Very high levels of vitamin D in your blood (greater than 375 nmol/L or 150 ng/mL) can cause nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, confusion, pain, loss of appetite, dehydration, excessive urination and thirst, and kidney stones.
The main consequence of vitamin D toxicity is a buildup of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), which can cause nausea and vomiting, weakness, and frequent urination. Vitamin D toxicity might progress to bone pain and kidney problems, such as the formation of calcium stones.
“Adding an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement can make improvements in just three to four months time.
Vitamin D can be taken at any time of the day. However, many people prefer to take it in the morning to reduce the potential risk of sleep disturbances.
Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include:
Fatigue. Not sleeping well. Bone pain or achiness. Depression or feelings of sadness.
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density, which can contribute to osteoporosis and fractures (broken bones). Severe vitamin D deficiency can also lead to other diseases: In children, it can cause rickets. Rickets is a rare disease that causes the bones to become soft and bend.
Growing evidence has demonstrated that vitamin D has a role in sleep regulation [12]. Specifically, vitamin D deficiency (VDD) can increase risk of sleep disorders and is associated with sleep difficulties, shorter sleep duration, and nocturnal awakenings in children and adults [13,14,15].
Some side effects of taking too much vitamin D include weakness, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, and others. Taking vitamin D for long periods of time in doses higher than 4000 IU (100 mcg) daily is possibly unsafe and may cause very high levels of calcium in the blood.
A study found that higher serum vitamin D levels were associated with a reduced risk of weight gain in normal weight adults [10]. Another study reported that subjects who gained ≥5% weight had lower vitamin D levels than subjects who lost >5% weight [11].
Together with calcium, vitamin D also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis. Vitamin D has other roles in the body, including reduction of inflammation as well as modulation of such processes as cell growth, neuromuscular and immune function, and glucose metabolism [1-3].
But vitamin D is a 'fat-soluble' vitamin, so your body can store it for months and you don't need it every day. That means you could equally safely take a vitamin D supplement of 20 micrograms a day or 500 micrograms once a month. Don't worry - your doctor or pharmacist aren't trying to poison you!
Why do I need to take vitamin D? Vitamin D helps protect our bones and muscles. A deficiency leads to softening of the bones (rickets or osteomalacia). It has also been suggested that low levels of vitamin D could be linked to chronic diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and heart and circulatory disease.
Vitamin D treatment significantly improved fatigue in otherwise healthy persons with vitamin D deficiency.
Having inadequate levels of vitamin D may correlate with unintentional weight gain. A study on women over the age of 65 found that participants with a lower vitamin D level experienced more weight gain. A systematic review of 23 different studies found similar associations between vitamin D deficiency and obesity.
In general, the two main causes of vitamin D deficiency are: Not getting enough vitamin D in your diet and/or through sunlight. Your body isn't properly absorbing or using vitamin D.
Melatonin production relies on vitamin D: Vitamin D helps the body produce melatonin, a hormone that supports sleep. Low levels of vitamin D could result in low levels of melatonin, leading to sleep problems.
Therefore, conditions that affect the gut and digestion, like celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, and cystic fibrosis, can reduce vitamin D absorption.
Use the CVS Health At Home Vitamin D Test Kit to get accurate and comprehensive results in the privacy and comfort of your own home. Simply collect your blood sample using this convenient kit, mail it to the lab, and receive your results through a secure online portal in just a few days.
Magnesium assists in the activation of vitamin D, which helps regulate calcium and phosphate homeostasis to influence the growth and maintenance of bones. All of the enzymes that metabolize vitamin D seem to require magnesium, which acts as a cofactor in the enzymatic reactions in the liver and kidneys.
Can you take vitamin D and magnesium together? Yes. In fact, it's probably best to take both together. Because so many people have low magnesium levels, vitamin D supplements on their own aren't very helpful for a large portion of the population.
There are quite a few differences between vitamin D and vitamin D3, but the main difference between them is that vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that regulates calcium and phosphorous levels in the body, whereas the vitamin D3 is the natural form of vitamin D produced by the body from sunlight.
Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults.