is to much to much? (vitamins)

exxxtasi
exxxtasi Posts: 39
edited September 23 in Food and Nutrition
I've been taking multivitamins for a little while now, but since starting MyFitnessPal and eating better I've noticed that alot of my vitamin and mineral % are way high!! I'm not sure if this is a good thing or bad, so any advice will be helpfull.

Replies

  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    Depends on which minerals you're talking about, and what you mean by "way high." It also depends on your own personal health factors -- for instance, if I were to double my potassium goal, it wouldn't be a problem, but for someone with kidney disease, the same dosage would be catastrophic.

    Give us some example numbers to look at.
  • exxxtasi
    exxxtasi Posts: 39
    Well, Vit A489%, Vit C 183%, and iron 159%. another day my vit A was 731% and today its at 243%...
  • AADLONG
    AADLONG Posts: 12
    This is definately a question to ask your personal doctor. Depending on your health issues or meds you take sometimes you need extra vitamins.
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    what are you taking to get your vitamins so high? Can you give the IU rating for vitamin A...that is one I know can cause problems. Vitamin c, not a problem. Iron can cause stomach problems so might want to keep a check on that but you're not too high over at 159%
  • pkgirrl
    pkgirrl Posts: 587
    I'm not a doctor, but I would watch that, especially the iron and vitamin A. It's okay to go over on vitamin C, as well as thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, niacin, folate, B6 and B12, because they're water soluble. So whatever you're body can't use will be passed in urine. Iron also tends to be less of an issue with women, because although it's not water soluble, your body does lose a lot during menstruation. Others (such as vitamin A) are fat soluble, so whatever can't be used is stored in your fat cells. I don't know what exactly would be considered a toxic overdose, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to check with your doctor as your body can't pass these extra vitamins.
  • MeghanAM
    MeghanAM Posts: 222 Member
    Vitamin C is water soluble, so any excess will just be released in your urine. There is definitely such a thing as "too much" still, but I know for vitamin C at least, you're not close to it.
  • FatDoctor
    FatDoctor Posts: 40 Member
    The harm of excessive consumption of vitamin A (>10000 IU) mentioned on the packs is in relation to pregnancy (can cause birth defects). If you are pregnant please stick to the limits (suggested specialised multivitamin preparations, like Pregnavit with lower vitamin A content) and discuss the meter with your GP. For the majority of the population the moderate excess is harmless.
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    Vitamin A is fat soluble. eating a liver or a small amount of pate will give you 1000% + of the RDA so your fluctuating amounts should not be problem but high doses of vitamin A are associated with birth defects and that is the reason pregnant women are told not to consume ANY liver products.
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