WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: A LOOK AT VITAMIN OVERDOSING
Reporting by Jenna Atwater // Photography by Elizabeth Myers

While munching on cereal each morning, the Flintstones are there for nutritional support. The cherry, orange and grape flavors not only taste deliciously similar to candy, but provide healthy supplements to the minerals your body may not be getting. But the vitamin counterparts of these happy Flintstone friends have a dark side.

As body image consumes many college students’ thoughts, not only does time spent at the gym increase, extraneous use of vitamins and minerals for healthy benefits does, too. The problem is, the latter can lead to an adverse effect that is more harmful than helpful — vitamin overdosing.

Rose Ann Chiurazzi, registered dietitian for the nutrition program for the Department of Recreational Services at Kent State says, “weightlifters, athletes and people who are obsessed with health are more likely to go overboard on vitamins.”  She says they take more than they actually need because they think it will help improve their looks.

Though our bodies were designed to be exposed to vitamins (not to mention need them), the old adage can be applied here: Too much of a good thing is usually a bad thing.

According to reports from the New England Journal of Medicine, knowledge of the toxic effects of certain vitamins has been around for centuries. That awareness goes as far back as a 1597 diary from an explorer in Nova Zembla. While trying to survive during a brutal winter, the explorer and his team became “gravely ill” after consuming polar bear liver.

While that is probably not on your daily menu, the journal says that high levels of vitamins harm the body. For example, overdosing on vitamin A (found most commonly in milk, dairy foods and, of course, polar bear liver) can lead to bone loss, liver damage and birth defects. Too much calcium can block the absorption of nutrients such as iron and zinc or cause kidney stones. An excess of niacin can cause skin redness and nausea. 

Some nutrients interact with other nutrients by hindering their absorption. The proper absorbency of calcium and vitamin D depends on a balanced amount of each.

Vitamins found naturally in food should be taken before meal supplements, but how much is enough?

Three-fourths of a cup of cereal, a multivitamin, two slices of bread and an energy bar is 685 micrograms over the recommended daily dose of folic acid. Too much folic acid can cause irreversible nerve damage if not treated. Chiurazzi says the problem results from taking an excess of total supplements, especially when you take “three times more than what you need.”

Generally, what’s one thing you want when you’re sick, besides sleep? Typically, the answer is to take as much vitamin C as possible. However, vitamins B and C are water-soluble, which means they are only stored in the body for a short amount of time before excreted.  Chiurazzi says vitamins like A and D are fat-soluble and can be stored in high and even toxic amounts, which means you may be consuming more vitamins than you realize.

Chiurazzi suggests being careful with fortified foods and avoid abusing one type of vitamin. One key is to take vitamins and minerals in moderation. She also recommends taking a multivitamin such as Centrum or One-A-Day which provide a fool-proof dose of daily nutrients your body needs. Reading labels and paying attention to what percent of vitamins are healthy for an everyday diet — giving you the right amount of a good thing. 

Jenna Atwater is a freshman pre-journalism major. This is her first story for The Burr.