Going over on vitamins?

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lausa22
lausa22 Posts: 467 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I take a multi-vitamin with iron tablet everyday, because I'm vegetarian and sometimes find it hard to take in all my nutrients, especially iron!

But yesterday I see that I had 250% GDA of Vitamin C!
I also had 130% of Vitamin A.

Is that bad for me?

Replies

  • MamaKatel
    MamaKatel Posts: 180
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    Vitamin A is actually a better treatment for cancer than chemo or radiation. Watch Food Matters, you'll learn a bunch of stuff about the food industry and vitamin therapy.
  • iamhealingmyself
    iamhealingmyself Posts: 579 Member
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    I take a multi-vitamin with iron tablet everyday, because I'm vegetarian and sometimes find it hard to take in all my nutrients, especially iron!

    But yesterday I see that I had 250% GDA of Vitamin C!
    I also had 130% of Vitamin A.

    Is that bad for me?

    Once in awhile a small overage on vitamin A won't hurt, but you can overdose with higher, constant levels. Vitamin C is discarded through urine so you cannot overdose and really we use that for most of our major cellular functions and our immune system. Recommendations on C are very low and you cannot overdose. There are some vitamins, like IRON that will not be discarded and are stored so you want to avoid long term high doses. It's worth doing some research on, but you won't need a degree to stay safe.
  • saligator
    saligator Posts: 96 Member
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    from what i remember from school, ur body elilminates any excess vitamin C through urine as it's a water soluable vitamin. With Vitamin A you can 'overdose' and get poisooned but i think the dose is realy high, so i wouldn't worry about it too much!
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
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    You'd have to go over my a lot more than that to have any negative effects. Vitamin C is water soluble and any excess just flushes out.

    The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin A for men over 18 is 900 mcg (3000 IU) and for women it's 700 mcg (2,310 IU). This includes all sources of Vitamin A, which in addition to carrots and sweet potatoes, can come from foods such as liver, multivitamins, cod liver oil, and vitamin A supplements. Even cereal is usually fortified with Vitamin A. The upper daily limit for Vitamin A is 3000 mcg (10000) IU per day, so unless you're at 500% on the total, you're within tolerance.

    Regularly going over that can cause a build-up that is toxic, as Vitamin A is fat-soluble.
  • lilyinlove
    lilyinlove Posts: 441 Member
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    Quick Facts...
    Small amounts of vitamins A, D, E and K are needed to maintain good health.
    Foods that contain these vitamins will not lose them when cooked.
    The body does not need these every day and stores them in the liver when not used.
    Most people do not need vitamin supplements.
    Megadoses of vitamins A, D, E or K can be toxic and lead to health problems.
  • Papillon22
    Papillon22 Posts: 1,160 Member
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    I don't know about vitamin a, but vitamin c in excess gets secreted through urine, so it shouldn't be a problem.
  • lausa22
    lausa22 Posts: 467 Member
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    Thanks everyone :-)
    I don't really go over on iron, max 110% with my tablet and that's only because I've started eating cornflakes for breakfast, which is good for iron intake. Before I took my tablet I used to get about 5% daily.

    I'll look up the effects of going over, but so far I found nothing :-(
  • MJStory
    MJStory Posts: 42
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    There are water soluble vitamins, which include the larger portion of vitamins, such as B complex & C; these are all secreted by the kidneys. Then there are fat soluble vitamins that includes A, D & E which are stored in the liver; you can get too much of them and become toxic. It takes time to become toxic with them; it's not something that you develop overnight, but is gradual over months till you to show any signs of toxicity. Google the different vitamins you're taking to see where you stand.
  • caroltina
    caroltina Posts: 453 Member
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    be careful if you decide to get pregnant and high doses of vitamin A can harm the babies development
  • SophRW
    SophRW Posts: 93 Member
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    Vitamin A can be harmful in large doses. Vitamin A toxicity affects the liver. I don't think you're even close to reaching a toxic amount, though
  • kwamgee
    kwamgee Posts: 35
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    Vitamin A is actually a better treatment for cancer than chemo or radiation. Watch Food Matters, you'll learn a bunch of stuff about the food industry and vitamin therapy.

    Food Matters is a great Documentary. I wish everyone could see this eye opening film.
  • perceptualobfuscator
    perceptualobfuscator Posts: 159 Member
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    Those numbers don't seem too high to me. I don't take a multivitamin, and I regularly consume 200-600% of vitamin A and C just from eating plenty of veggies. You're pretty far away from toxic levels.

    While taking a multivitamin is a great idea, just taking it doesn't guarantee absorption into your system. Studies have shown that pill form vitamins and minerals are often not absorbed into the system at the same rate that food versions would be. So try to get your nutrients in your diet, too.

    I can sympathize with the iron problems, though. I've found a few cereals with iron content of around 50%, and if I start my day with that, I can usually meet my iron intake for the day.

    Good luck!!

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