A neurologist has published a rugged war:ning to anyone taking three specific supplements, as overdosing on them can do dangerous damage to your health.
Supplements are becoming more and more common and according to the BBC, over 74% of Americans and two-thirds of Brits have turned to the tablets in an effort to enhance their health.
However, if you are turning to them, it’s crucial to make sure you know your stuff, especially the correct dosage.
For example, this year one American woman was left ‘one step from liver failure’ after consuming too many turmeric pills.
TikToker and neurologist Doctor Baibing Chen – known online as Dr Bing – has declared a warned against taking ‘too much’ of three supplements in particular.
Vitamin D
The first supplement Dr Bing has concerned is Vitamin D, which helps control the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body.
As per the NHS, these nutrients are necessary to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. It’s actually recommended by the UK Government that everyone should be taking Vitamin D supplements during the autumn and winter.
However, the issue happens when you take too much. The recommended amount for children aged one year and above and adults is 10 micrograms (mcg) a day. Meanwhile, babies up to the age of one year need 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day.
Dr Bing concerned: “Taking too high doses of vitamin D can lead to calcium to develop in your bl00d, which can affect the brain, leading to things like confusion, fatigue, depression, and sometimes even psychosis.
“So while these vitamins and minerals are crucial for our bodies to function, moderation is key, like almost everything else in life, and more is not always better.”
As per Mayo Clinic, a buildup of calcium in the bl00d is called hypercalcemia and it has some pretty nasty symptoms. Hypercalcemia can lead to upset stomach and vomiting, weakness, and frequent urination, as well as bone pain and kidney troubles such as kidney stones.
Vitamin A
The second supplement to be wary of is Vitamin A, which is more normally known as retinol. Vitamin A helps your immune system work properly, helps your vision in dim light and maintains your skin and the lining of some other parts of the body, such as the nose, healthy.
The NHS outlines that the total vitamin A content of a food is usually expressed as micrograms (µg) of retinol equivalents (RE). And the amount of vitamin A adults aged 19 to 64 need is700 µg a day for men and 600 µg a day for women.
Dr Bing said: “Vitamin A is fat soluble, which means that it stores in your liver and it can accumulate over time.
“Too much of this can lead to a condition called pseudotumor cerebri, which is increased pressure in the brain that mimics a brain tumour, causing headaches, blurred vision and even permanent vision loss.”
Zinc
Lastly, Dr. Bing mentioned that consuming “too much” zinc can hinder the body’s ability to absorb copper. Zinc aids in wound healing, the synthesis of new cells and enzymes, and the digestion of food’s protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
The physician revealed: “Multivitamins, lozenges, and even some over-the-counter cold remedies contain it.”
“Now, zinc is crucial for our bodies and can be found in multiple food sources. But the problem is when people take supplements daily for months, they can easily go over the safe limit.
“Copper is essential for your nervous system. And low copper levels can lead something called myeloneuropathy, which is damage to the spinal cord and your peripheral nerves, leading to things like numbness, tingling and trouble walking.
“And I’ve seen several cases of this where people come in with progressive weakness and sensory loss due to copper deficiency from long-term zinc overuse.”