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Anyone Taking Vitamin D Issued Serious Warning From Doctors
Experts are warning people to avoid taking vitamin D supplements this winter if they exhibit any of four key symptoms.
The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK recommends taking vitamin D during the colder months, between October and early March, to help keep bones and muscles healthy.
However, there are still risks that can come with vitamin D supplements, which has caused doctors to issue a precautionary warning.
Why is vitamin D so important?
Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of phosphate and calcium in our bodies, which are essential to keep our bones, muscles and teeth healthy.
The NHS states that: “A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults.”
A spokesperson for the NHS posted on X, formerly Twitter: “From October to March we can’t make enough vitamin D from sunlight, so to keep bones and muscles healthy, it’s best to take a daily 10 microgram supplement of vitamin D. You can get vitamin D from most pharmacies and retailers.”
Why are lots of people deficient in vitamin D?
The reasons for people becoming deficient in vitamin D can be due to several factors.
A lack of exposure to sunlight is one of the most common reasons people have low vitamin D. During the winter months, there is far less sunlight than in spring and summer, meaning our exposure levels drop significantly.
Old people may suffer from low vitamin D due to their older skin synthesizing less vitamins from the sunlight.
Diet can also prove to be significant when it comes to vitamin D intake. Not consuming enough foods and drinks that are rich in vitamin D, such as fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, etc.), egg yolks, red meat, milk, cereal, and orange juice, can lead to vitamin D deficiency, which is why people who follow strict vegan diets can find themselves suffering from low levels of it.
What are the benefits of taking vitamin D supplements?
The UK government advises that people should take a 10 microgram dose of vitamin D supplement every day throughout autumn and winter, as sunlight isn’t sufficiently strong for the body to produce adequate levels.
People with skin conditions, such as acne, can see their conditions significantly improve by taking vitamin D. It also supports immune health and keeps muscles and brain cells working.
How should you take vitamin D?
Medical experts recommend taking vitamin D supplements with a meal containing fats to maximize absorption of the supplement. This could include foods such as nuts, avocados, eggs and seeds. The reason for this is because Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin.
Taking supplements with your breakfast also ensures it is absorbed early and helps establish a consistent daily routine.
What symptoms should you look out for after taking vitamin D?
As with any supplements, you have to be careful with dosage and how you take them, and doctors are warning people that several symptoms can point to an overdose in vitamin D.
The four main symptoms you should watch out for are:
Frequent thirst and urination – If you need the toilet more often and are more frequently thirsty than usual, reduce your intake to one 10-microgram tablet and also stop taking any additional supplements.
Nausea, persistent burping, or an upset stomach – If your gut seems to be acting differently, it is probably a sign that you’re not taking your supplement correctly. Try taking your supplement with a proper meal and swap from a spray or gummies to a regular tablet. The sprays and gummies often contain sweeteners and flavorings that don’t agree with everyone.
Also don’t consume any fortified shakes or energy drinks while your body recovers from this.
Bones and muscle aches – If you are experiencing aching muscles and additional cramps after taking your supplements, you should make hydration your focus and reduce your dosage of vitamin D.
Excess can disturb the minerals that muscles depend on and cause dehydration, which leads to increased cramping.
Large glasses of water, yoghurt and leafy greens, beans and bananas are suggested to help combat this, while also returning to a single dose.
Brain fog and loss of focus – If you start to experience headaches and struggle thinking properly, this is a surefire sign you are taking too much vitamin D. Replace multivitamins or high-strength products with a regular 10 microgram D3 tablet.
Doctor warns against excessive vitamin D consumption
Biomedical scientist and co-founder of Repose Healthcare, Tobias Mapulanga, issued a warning regarding the aforementioned symptoms, explaining: ”As the NHS encourages vitamin D in winter, many people are reaching for bottles in the darker months and accidentally overshooting, then blaming the fallout on seasonal bugs; when constant thirst and needing the loo more often, queasiness, tummy pain or constipation, headaches or brain fog, and new aches or cramps appear soon after increasing your intake or adding sprays or gummies, that points to a supplement backfiring.
“The stakes are clear: the right amount supports you, but doubling up can turn a well-meant routine into feeling worse rather than better.”
Over the last two years, NHS England recorded 42 reports of vitamin D being administered with increased frequency, leading to certain cases requiring hospital treatment for hypercalcaemia, according to Bristol Live.
What to do if you start displaying symptoms
If you begin to display any of the four major symptoms mentioned, scrutinize every supplement you are taking, whether it’s a multivitamin, gummy, spray and make sure you are not doubling up anywhere.
Reducing your dose to one single 10 microgram vitamin D tablet will provide you with enough vitamin D per day without the need to double up with anything else.
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