Causes of hypervitaminosis - an overdose of vitamins

Hypervitaminosis is an acute disorder of the body caused by the poisoning( intoxication) of the body with a very high dose of a vitamin that is contained in food or a vitamin-containing drug.

Hypervitaminosis is a very common phenomenon for many developed countries, where a vitamin supplement is very popular. For example, many people believe that minor diseases can be cured with the help of large doses( megadoses) of vitamins, which leads to hypervitaminosis as a result.

Most people think that there can not be a surplus of vitamins and that all excess leaves with urine. But, this is far from the case, the body is able to get rid of only some elements - water-soluble, although they can do much harm. And vitamins from the group of fat-soluble are not excreted, but accumulate and cause hypervitaminosis.

Children's hypervitaminosis

The causes of hypervitaminosis in children are the same as in adults: uncontrolled intake of a vitamin preparation or excessive intake of food, which is rich in any vitamin.

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Symptoms typical for hypervitaminosis in children, consider below.

Vitamin A

The excess amount of vitamin A in the body was first recorded in 1948.The reason was the use of the liver of a polar polar bear. Symptoms include nausea, headache and drowsiness.

Retinol, contained in vitamin A, is toxic to the body. The second component is carotene - a harmless element, which in case of an overdose simply stains the skin yellow.

Vitamin B12

An overdose of vitamin B12 and B6 is especially dangerous for children - they are the most toxic. Without the B vitamins, the normal functioning of the child's nervous system and effective energy metabolism are impossible.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is necessary for the body to fight various infections and colds. Excess amount of vitamin C is usually accompanied by the following symptoms:

reddening of the skin;
itching;
by irritation of the urinary tract;
headache;
dizziness.

If this vitamin is too much in the body, blood coagulability, blood pressure, or metabolism may worsen.

Hypervitaminosis of vitamin D in children causes toxic changes in tissues and organs, as well as hypercalcemia. These same symptoms are accompanied by an individual's increased sensitivity to this vitamin. Hypervitaminosis of vitamin D can be of two types: acute and chronic. Most often they suffer from babies up to 2 years. In this case, the work of the kidneys is disrupted, calcium metabolism in the body is upset, the cardiovascular system and other organs are damaged. The presence of vitamin D hypervitaminosis in young children can cause dystrophy, anorexia, cardiopathy, etc.

As a result of prolonged intake of large doses of vitamin K, anemia may develop. For a newborn, the hypervitaminosis of this vitamin is terrible with hyperbilirubinemia, the defeat of the nervous system and the destruction of red blood cells. This can even lead to a lethal outcome: 10 mg of vitamin K are a deadly dose for a small organism. The presence of this tragic fact became known at a time when the introduction of vitamin K to newborns was carried out to prevent hemorrhagic fever. At the moment, use another form of vitamin K.

Vitamin E

Numerous studies have concluded that a large dose of vitamin E disrupts the absorption of other vitamins, for example, D, A and K. The main symptoms are headache, fatigue, doublingin the eyes and diarrhea.

Diagnosis of hypervitaminosis

If an excess amount of water-soluble vitamins is ingested in the body, they will quickly be excreted in the urine.

And with fat-soluble vitamins, everything is quite different: they fall first in the blood, and then into fatty and other tissues.

Fat soluble vitamins accumulate in tissues

Please note! An overdose of a vitamin can lead to diarrhea. The explanation is very simple: a number of substances that are not absorbed into the intestine begin to "draw" the liquid from the body, which is fraught with dehydration of the body.

It is possible to diagnose hypervitaminosis only if the patient's diet and history of the disease are studied. In order to establish the cause of the manifestation of a symptom, the doctor may ask the patient if he takes any vitamin supplement. Some cases can not be diagnosed until blood and urine are given up for analysis.

Prevention of hypervitaminosis

Taking vitamins under the supervision of a doctor

To excess of any vitamin does not become your problem, you should avoid the constant use of vitamin complexes and supplements. Their application requires only the autumn and winter periods, because in a warm time the optimal amount of vitamins in the body can be achieved by a variety of nutrition.

Please note! The intake of any vitamin should be agreed with the doctor. Correct calculation of the dose of a liquid vitamin preparation presupposes the presence of a special "eye" pipette.

In general, the best option for replenishing the supply of vitamins is the organization of a balanced diet, and you need to apply to vitamins only if the first option is impossible.