Can Too Much Vitamin C Cause Diarrhea

Too Much Copper In Your Multivitamin Can Cause Behavior Changes

Chances are when you hear the word “copper,” pennies and jewelry are more likely to come to mind than supplements. But copper a mineral essential for your bones, ligaments, and joints ;is commonly found in multivitamins. While normal copper blood levels range from 70 to 140 micrograms per deciliter , anything higher than that can lead to copper toxicity .

As Healthline;explained, the side effects of too much copper can be physical, mental, and behavioral. Beyond headaches, fever, and black stool, copper poisoning can also cause jaundice yellowing of the skin and the white part of the eye. Someone with excessive copper levels may experience sudden mood changes, and become irritable, depressed, or overexcited. And in the long term, this type of poisoning can lead to heart and liver failure, brain damage, and death.

In addition to supplements, substantial amounts of copper can be found in such foods as quinoa, dark chocolate, soybeans, crabs, liver, and asparagus . Also, if your home uses copper pipes, you may have high levels of copper in your water supply. Pipe corrosion, industrial waste, and runoff from nearby farms can also increase the copper toxicity of your water.

Can You Overdose On Vitamins Watch For These Symptoms

Weve all heard the saying, Too much of a good thing is bad for you. But what about when it comes to vitamins? Can you ever really overdo them?

Yes, absolutely, said Dawn Gerber, PharmD, a clinical ambulatory pharmacy specialist with Banner Health. Basically, there are two types of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Although your body can excrete large amounts of water-soluble vitamins, it holds onto fat-soluble vitamins, which can be toxic at high levels.”

Water-soluble vitamins, like vitamin C and B-complex, are carried to the bodys tissues and arent stored in your body. Fat-soluble vitamins, like A, D, E and K, are absorbed along with fats in your diet and are stored in your bodys fatty tissue and in the liver.

These get caught in our fat, the non-muscular parts of our bodies, Dr. Gerber said. The more supplements we take at high doses, the more that accumulates and isnt flushed out.

While its hard to overdose just eating these vitamins naturally with a well-balanced diet, vitamin supplements can have negative ramifications.

Heres what you need to know to avoid overdoing it in the supplement department.

Fruits And Vegetables With High Levels Of Vitamin C

There are many fruits and vegetables that have high levels of Vitamin C. If youre worried about taking supplements and the side effects, eating fruit ensures you get your daily dose of Vitamin C without the problems.

Guava has 377 milligrams of Vitamin C. Kiwis have 167 mg.

Bell peppers have 190 milligrams per cup and only 46 calories. Berries like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries all contain Vitamin C. Strawberries contain the highest amount at 98 mg per cup.

Surprisingly, oranges, often synonymous with high amounts of Vitamin C have only 96 mg per cup. Clementines, lemons, and grapefruits are also good sources of Vitamin C but contain fewer milligrams than oranges.

Broccoli, cabbage, and Brussel sprouts are also good sources of Vitamin C. Kale is also a good source with 53 mg per cooked cup.

With so many choices, its easy to start your day with a healthy breakfast that contains enough Vitamin C to keep you healthy.

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How To Treat And Prevent Vitamin C Overdose

The single best way to prevent vitamin C overdose is to avoid taking supplements in high doses and to get the vitamin C your body needs from foods instead, especially fresh vegetables and fruits. Some of the foods richest in vitamin C include citrus fruits like oranges, leafy green vegetables, red peppers, melon, berries, kiwi, mango and sweet potatoes.

As mentioned above, vitamin C is water-soluble. What does this mean in terms of getting extra vitamin C out of your body? Do you pee out excess vitamin C?

Because vitamin C is water-soluble, its not as risky to take too much vitamin C as it is to take fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A or D. Unmetabolized ascorbic acid is excreted in the urine.

That said, overdose of vitamin C is still possible if someone takes supplements in high doses for an extended period of time, especially if that person also consumes lots of vitamin C from his or her diet and/or fortified foods.

How long does it take to get vitamin C out of your system?

Vitamin C can stay in the body for weeks. However, excess amounts are usually urinated out in a matter of hours.

Vitamin C will stay in someones body longer if that person doesnt already have high levels or are deficient. In order to prevent vitamin C from being lost in the urine, its best to take smaller, multiple doses spread out throughout the day.

Too Much Iodine Can Cause Cancer

If you look at your multivitamin, you will likely see iodine on the label. And considering how much it does for the body, it makes perfect sense. From promoting good bone health to helping your thyroid function, iodine is essential to general fitness . Thanks to iodized salt and foods like cod, reduced-fat milk, seaweed, and cheddar cheese, there are plenty of sources for this mineral. So, yes, you can have high levels of it but there’s a twist.

Medical News Today explained that iodine both in excess and in deficient amounts can have some of the exact same side effects on the thyroid. If you develop a goiter, it might mean that you need to start taking iodine supplements or that you need to cut back on them. Therefore, it’s important to speak with your health care professional about what supplements you’re taking .

Too much iodine can also cause inflammation of the thyroid and thyroid papillary cancer, according to Medical News Today. Rare side effects of very high levels of iodine include fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and even a weaken pulse and becoming comatose.

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Subtle Signs You’re Getting Too Much

“I have not seen someone off the street who was taking a toxic level of vitamin A or D — those are very unusual,” says David Katz, MD, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center in New Haven, CT, whose medical practice specializes in nutrition. “What I’m more likely to see is a person with a dosing level of supplements that’s higher than optimal.”

Scientists don’t yet know if routinely getting a little bit too much of a vitamin or mineral is a problem, Katz says.

“There might be hints of concern, but they would be very subtle signs,” he says.

These fairly mild symptoms may include difficulty sleeping or concentrating, nerve problems such as numbness or tingling, or feeling more irritable — depending on the nutrient that’s going overboard.

The bigger concern, Katz says, is that we’re “garnishing the food supply with overfortification.”

He says manufacturers have shifted their focus from what they’ve taken out of food — such as its fat, sugar, or salt — to what they’re putting in, whether it’s vitamin D, probiotics, or omega-3 fats — whatever nutrient is in vogue.

“When more and more foods are enhanced, it becomes impossible for consumers to know what dose they’re getting over the course of a day,” Katz says. “Clinicians have to realize we might be introducing new dietary imbalances because of this practice.”

How Much Vitamin C Should You Take

So, what’s the right amount of vitamin C to take? The right dosage can vary depending on your age, gender, and lifestyle. Listed below are the daily recommended amounts of vitamin C according to the National Institutes of Health:;

Ingesting large doses of a vitamin C supplement or a cold-fighting product like Emergen-C, however, may cause more serious effects.; “The same effects from excess vitamin C ingestion can occur with Emergen-C but because this formula also contains large amounts of potassium, side effects can also include more serious symptoms and signs such as weakness, low blood pressure, and heart arrhythmias,” says Rand McClain, DO, and chief medical officer of Live Cell Research.;;

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Recommended Vitamin C Dose

The recommended daily allowance of vitamin C is 75 milligrams for women and 90 milligrams for men. During pregnancy and lactation the dose can increase from 85 to 120 milligrams per day.

Getting the daily recommended amount of vitamin C is important for keeping your immune system healthy and forming collagen, the structural component of tendons and blood vessels. Vitamin C is also an anti-oxidant that protects your cells from harmful free radicals. The tolerable upper-intake level of vitamin C should not exceed 2,000 milligrams per day.

Is Taking A Huge Dose Of Vitamin C Bad For Me

Vitamin C is an important nutrient, but as the old saying goes too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.

After taking too much vitamin C, you may experience symptoms such as:

• Diarrhea

So how much vitamin C is too much?

For adults, the daily upper limit of vitamin C is 2,000 mg. For teens, it’s 1,800 mg. For children, the upper limit depends on age, and it ranges from 400 to 1,200 mg per day.

In addition, vitamin C is water-soluble, making it hard for your body to store it with excess being secreted in your urine. So even if you’re adult and can handle the 1,000 mg in each vitamin C packet or pill, just know that your body can’t absorb more than about 400 mg. This means that most of the vitamin C in that supplement you’re taking just goes down your toilet .

All this to say, however, that getting the recommended amount of vitamin C is still a critical step in staying healthy, as this vitamin plays many important roles in your body. But, you don’t need to take a supplement to make that happen.

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When To See A Doctor

Anyone who is experiencing any of these symptoms or suspects that their job has exposed them to too much zinc should seek emergency care or call a poison control center right away.

It is also important to discuss any nutritional or vitamin supplements with a doctor before starting to take them. Doing this is especially important if a person is taking other medications or has a medical condition that the extra zinc intake could affect.

Taking Supplements In High Doses May Lead To Kidney Stones

Excess vitamin C is excreted from the body as oxalate, a bodily waste product.

Oxalate typically exits the body via urine. However, under some circumstances, oxalate may bind to minerals and form crystals that can lead to the formation of kidney stones .

Consuming too much vitamin C has the potential to increase the amount of oxalate in your urine, thus increasing the risk of developing kidney stones .

In one study that had adults take a 1,000-mg vitamin C supplement twice daily for 6 days, the amount of oxalate they excreted increased by 20% .

High vitamin C intake is not only associated with greater amounts of urinary oxalate but also linked to the development of kidney stones, especially if you consume amounts greater than 2,000 mg (

Summary

Consuming too much vitamin C may increase the amount of oxalate in your kidneys, which has the potential to lead to kidney stones.

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How To Take It

The best way to take vitamin C supplements is 2 – 3 times per day, with meals, depending on the dosage. Some studies suggest that adults should take 250 – 500 mg twice a day for any benefit. Talk to your doctor before taking more than 1,000 mg of vitamin C on a daily basis and before giving vitamin C to a child.

Daily intake of dietary vitamin C is listed below.

Pediatric

• Men over 18 years: 90 mg
• Women over 18 years: 75 mg
• Pregnant women 14 – 18 years: 80 mg
• Pregnant women over 18 years: 85 mg
• Breastfeeding women 14 – 18 years: 115 mg
• Breastfeeding women over 18 years: 120 mg

Because smoking depletes vitamin C, people who smoke may need an additional 35 mg per day.

The dose recommended to prevent or treat many of the conditions mentioned in the Uses section is often 500 – 1,000 mg per day.

Can Vitamin C Cause Diarrhea

Posted by Gabrielle Marks

Too much vitamin C can cause diarrhea. Since vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning that the body will eliminate any excess not used by the body, ingesting enough vitamin C to cause side effects is difficult to do, especially through diet alone. However, the trend to take mega-doses of vitamin C supplements in excess of 2,000 milligrams per day in hopes of preventing colds can lead to stomach upset and diarrhea.

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You Might Disrupt Your Digestive System

Unfortunately, gummy vitamins can contain ingredients known to irritate your digestive system. For instance, Poon says consuming too much Vitamin Cgenerally considered over 2,000 milligramscan cause cramps, nausea, and diarrhea.

Plus, gummies have a high percentage of sugar alcohol, which decreases the amount of added sugar without sacrificing the taste.

“Sugar alcohols are notorious for their digest disrupting properties, sometimes causing gas, diarrhea, and even irritable bowel syndrome,” she says. “Aside from wanting to avoid discomfort, your digestive health is central to the health of all of your other systems, so it is crucial to keep your gut healthy and in balance.”

If you’re looking for more healthy eating tips, be sure to !

During An Episode Of Vitamin

Unfortunately, if you are suffering a vitamin-induced bout of diarrhea, the only thing that will cure it is time. To ease your suffering, be sure to stay well-hydrated. Mint or chamomile tea can help soothe stomach cramps and bloating. Instead of using regular toilet paper, try the wet cloths used on infants to prevent soreness. Finally, eat bland, easily digestible, low-fat foods, working your way up from liquids to solids like plain rice. If your diarrhea does not go away within 48 hours at the most, then you should consult a doctor immediately.

• Unfortunately, if you are suffering a vitamin-induced bout of diarrhea, the only thing that will cure it is time.
• If your diarrhea does not go away within 48 hours at the most, then you should consult a doctor immediately.

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Take Your Supplement After Exercise

People who exercise are probably no stranger to the effects movement can take on their GI tracts. In fact, some 30 to 50 percent of athletes experience intestinal problems related to exercise, according to a May 2014 review in Sports Medicine.

“Exercise notoriously gets things going,” Dr. Jouhourian says. She recommends taking a supplement after a workout, and perhaps more importantly, while eating, which can help settle the stomach.

That Pesky Skin Rash May Be Caused By Excess Vitamin B3

At first glance, vitamin B3 looks like a safe choice because it’s water-soluble . After all, how could something that dissolves in water build up in the body? Wouldn’t urinating take care of excess amounts of it? Although that’s true, the body still has to process it, and while it’s making its way from your stomach to your kidneys, vitamin B3 can cause some side effects. This is why it’s important to avoid exceeding 35 milligrams of the vitamin per day .

According to the Medline Plus, high intakes of B3 can cause skin rashes, elevated amounts of blood sugar, liver damage, and peptic ulcers, which can occur either in the stomach or the intestines. Even when it is used to treat high cholesterol, B3 can cause discomfort to the face, neck, arms, or upper chest. Specifically, you may experience tingling, itchiness, redness, or a warm sensation referred to as “flushing.”

If you’re looking for non-supplement ways to get vitamin B3, though, fish, poultry, lean meats, eggs, and milk are all great sources. Outside of animal-based products, B3 is also found in peanuts, legumes, and rice, according to Medline Plus.

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Interference With Blood Thinning Drugs And Blood Tests

According to some research, vitamin C may react adversely with certain drugs. High dose supplements of vitamin C may block the functioning of blood thinners or anticoagulants, necessitating an increased dosage for the drug to stay effective. While there is no conclusive evidence to support this yet, experts still recommend that individuals taking blood thinners take no more than 1 gm of vitamin C a day and have their blood clotting mechanism regularly monitored.

Excess vitamin C may also interfere with the reading of certain lab tests such as those for serum bilirubin and serum creatinine, leading to incorrect results. It may also distort blood sugar tests. If you are slated for any medical tests, do inform your physician about the vitamin supplements you are taking.1415

Side Effects Of Too Much Vitamin C To Watch Out For

If youve grown up with a glass of orange juice or serving of grapefruit as a permanent fixture at the brekkie table, you know how important vitamin C is. Water-soluble vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, keeps your cells healthy and is responsible for the growth and repair of tissues throughout the body. You also need vitamin C to keep skin supple, aid iron absorption, heal wounds, and form that all-important scar tissue. It also helps keep your bones, teeth, cartilage, and blood vessels in good working condition. While theres no denying the benefits of vitamin C and how integral it is to our bodies, can you still have too much of vitamin c? If yes, what happens to your body when you do?

Vitamin C cannot be made by our bodies and must be sourced from our diet, and if necessary, from supplements. A water-soluble vitamin, it is not stored in the body and any excess amount is eliminated. So, the good news is its toxicity is very low and even high intakes are not linked to serious or fatal implications.1 That being said, excessive intake is associated with some side effects. Heres what you should look out for:

Many of the side effects associated with excessive vitamin C supplementation have been seen in isolated cases or lab studies. In some cases, they have also been invalidated by other studies. But the bottom line is still that there are some potential risks you should be aware of, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions.

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