The Dangers of Vitamins and Minerals

However, you could say the exact same thing about water, although it sounds somewhat absurd, water can actually be dangerous if very large quantities were to be ingested at one time.

The same thing could potentially happen with these nutrients, but only if taken in excessive quantities.

However, there are some facts to be considered that should dispel any of the arguments from anyone on the side that suggests that the dangers of vitamins and minerals are a very real threat and for these reason, they should be avoided. Or as some of these same pundits would suggest, they are not nearly what they are cracked up to be.

So let’s examine some of these facts and you can judge for yourself if they are dangerous. The 2003 Annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure Surveillance System states that there have be only two alleged deaths as the direct result of vitamins, and they key word in this equation, is alleged.

Although this report is over seven years old, the numbers are still about the same today. It is also estimated that over 50 percent of the entire U.S. population as well as about 30 percent of the world wide population take some type of a nutritional supplement every day.

If just the U.S. population was factored into this equation that would be about 145,000,000 individual doses each day or roughly 53 billion doses each year of these nutrients. The real facts are that this alone demonstrates that the product safety record is virtually without any type of equal making the dangers of vitamins and minerals a complete myth.

On the other hand, there are also some very interesting facts to consider. In this same report, it was estimated that prescription drugs that are properly prescribed and taken exactly as directed, kill over 100,000 Americans each year or about 2,000 each week.

There is always some news about a drug that was mistakenly filled by a pharmacist or a prescribed by a doctor, but in this case, this is the complete opposite as they were considered to be completely safe by all accords.

This same report also indicated that there were 59 deaths from aspirin, 2 by aerosol air fresheners, 2 by perfume, and 3 each by charcoal and dishwasher detergent. However, there were absolutely no deaths from the most of the B-complex of vitamins, none from niacin, and none from the fat soluble vitamins that can be dangerous if taken in excess.

The two alleged deaths supposedly were the result of vitamin C and B-6, which is considered to be virtually impossible, simply because they are water soluble vitamins and any excess from this class of vitamins in your body is excreted naturally.

Types of Vitamins:

In fully understanding the dangers of vitamins and minerals, it is very helpful to understand some basics about them. Vitamins are broken down into two classes; water soluble and fat soluble. Water soluble vitamins include vitamin C and well as all of the B vitamins.

This includes B1, which is also known as thiamine, B2, riboflavin, B3 niacin, and B 5, pantothenic acid.

This class also contains B6, also called pyridoxine, B7, biotin, B9, folic acid or folate, and B 12, cobalamin. These water soluble vitamins are nutrients that your body does not store and they dissolve in water when they are ingested and go directly into your blood stream.

Because of this, your body keeps only what it needs and any excess at all is excreted by your urine.

To suggest that this class presents the dangers of vitamins and minerals is oxymoronic, as your body needs a constant supply either from food or from supplements to remain healthy.

The fat soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E and K and these are stored in the body. If there were any significant dangers of vitamins and minerals, it would come from this group, but the numbers for the American Association of Poison Control Centers showed no reported deaths from this class at all.

When any of this group of vitamins is ingested, they dissolve in fat and as a result, your body will use what it needs at that particular time and store the rest for any future needs.

Potential dangers:

Despite all of the statistics that suggest the unequaled safety record of these nutrients, there are still some dangers of vitamins and minerals if they are taken in excess. However, in the vast majority of cases, the dangers are very minimal.

If you were to take over 10,000 international units of Vitamin A for extended periods of time, it could cause headaches, nausea, diarrhea, as well as potentially cause dry skin and slight hair loss.

There are also suggestions that large doses of this vitamin should be avoided by pregnant women as it may present a risk of birth defects.

Too much of any of the B class of vitamins will cause frequent urination as your body is disposing of the excessive amounts, but to be completely fair to both sides of the argument, there may be some slight nervous problems if you were to take over 300 milligrams per day of vitamin B6.

The daily requirements for vitamin D are listed at 400 international units, and if you were to take 25 times this amount or over 10,000 IU a day it can potentially lead to calcium deposits, kidney stones, as well as slight problems with both high blood pressure as well as high cholesterol. Very high dosages of vitamin E may also be dangerous and could cause fatigue or increased hypertension.

There is one key fact to consider with the fat soluble vitamins; excesses are stored and not excreted.

The dangers of vitamins and minerals next turns to the mineral group and if you were to take twice the recommend amounts of calcium, or over 2,000 mg. for extended periods of time, it may cause extreme lethargy, calcium deposits throughout your body, as well as interfere with the absorption of other minerals specifically zinc, iron, and magnesium.

Excessive amounts of iodine could cause thyroid problems, weight gain, headaches as well as rashes. Excessive amount of iron can also cause headaches, weight loss, and may interfere with the absorption of copper and zinc.

Excessive amounts of selenium can cause hair loss, problems with your nails, paleness, as well as potential tooth decay. Too much zinc may cause vomiting and nausea.

Summary:

The dangers of vitamins and minerals do exist, but only if certain nutrients are taken in excessive quantities. The facts are that their overall safety record virtually has no peer with any type of medication or supplement. However, just like water excessive amounts, they can cause some problems.

To prevent this, simply take the recommend daily dosage a liquid multi-vitamin once a day and safety will be the last thing you ever have to worry about.

Dangers of Vitamins and Minerals

More About Vitamin Myths, Vitamins, & Vitamin Deficiencies:

B12 Vitamin Overdose Overdose of vitamin B12 is virtually impossible as it is a water soluble vitamin and any excess will be excreted though your urine.
Vitamin A Overdose Vitamin A (Retinol) can build up in our systems with successive doses and chronic overdoes of more than 20,000 IUs (four times the RDA).
Vitamin C Overdose Vitamin C overdose is not possible, as you cannot overdose on a water soluble vitamin, unless of course you have a vested interest to spill myths and half-truths.
Vitamin A Vitamin A and retinoic acid (RA) play a central role in the development and the differentiation of white blood cells.
Benefits of Vitamin A Retinol and retinoic acid (RA) are essential in embryonic development as the red blood cells, like all blood cells, are derived from precursor cells called 'stem cells".
Vitamin B6 Some neurological symptoms of vitamin B6 deficiencies include irritability, depression, as well as confusion, and additional symptoms include inflammation of the tongue, sores or ulcers of the mouth, and skin ulcers.
Vitamin B12 Vitamin B12 is perhaps the most critical nutrient in protecting your nervous systems for several reasons, but leading the list is the creation of myelin.
Vitamin C Vitamin C for years now has been referred to as the wonder drug for several reasons.
Vitamin D Although it has long been known that a severe deficiency of vitamin D has serious consequences for bone health, this is only the beginning.
Vitamin E Vitamin E has long been known for what it can do for your skin, but this is only the beginning of its benefits.
Vitamin K Vitamin K is best known for coagulation in your blood, but there are several benefits this nutrient offers beyond this.
Vitamin P Vitamin P is not well known to most people, but it is a critical part of several functions in your body including protecting your capillaries.
Folic Acid Fetal growth and development are characterized by widespread cell division and folic acid plays a key role in this process.
Niacin Liquid Supplements The most common form of niacin deficiency involves the skin, digestive system, and the nervous system, and niacin liquid supplements play a key role in all of these processes.
Pantothenic Acid Pantothenic acid has been found to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood of diabetic patients, but this is just the beginning of its benefits.
B Vitamins Deficiency Understanding B vitamins deficiency was one of the advances that changed the way the medical community viewed vitamins.
Vitamin E Deficiency Vitamin E deficiency has been observed in individuals with severe malnutrition, genetic defect that interfere with the transfer of protein, as well as fat malabsorption syndrome.
Biotin Deficiency Although Biotin Deficiency is rare, the human requirement for dietary biotin has demonstrated that overt deficiency can result in hair loss, a scaly red rash around the eyes and nose, as well as a rash around the genital area.
Niacin Deficiency Niacin deficiency and its effect on cholesterol levels is still being researched, but the benefits of this mineral are not, as it is already been proven to be very effective.
Vitamin B5 Deficiency World War II prisoners experienced pantothenic acid deficiency as they reported numbness and painful burning and tingling in their feet, which corrected as soon as they supplemented it.
Riboflavin Deficiency Severe riboflavin deficiency may affect many enzyme systems and it generally start with the production of your blood.
Thiamin Deficiency A severe deficiency of this thiamin can easily lead to Beriberi which has three forms; dry, wet, or cerebral, depending on the systems in your body that are affected.