If you take a vitamin C supplement, you should check your intake more closely. Some people overdo it because of the sketchy advice they find online, and develop unpleasant side effects like nausea, headaches, heartburn, and, in extreme cases, painful kidney stones.
last week, TikTok influencer A colon cancer battler, she said she developed kidney stones as a result of taking high doses of vitamin C to boost her immune system and fight cancer. She said she was taking 50 grams of vitamin C every day, which is equivalent to a whopping 50,000 milligrams. The recommended daily intake for women is 75mg.
After watching a video on TikTok, Dr. Ashley WinterBoard Certified Urologist and Chief Medical Officer Odera Healthwas posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, to explain why overdosing on vitamin C is not only unhelpful, but can be dangerous.
“Excess vitamin C in the diet has no effect on the immune system, as it is only excreted in the urine. And in the urine, vitamin C becomes oxalate, which is a major cause of kidney stones.” You are literally following a recipe for kidney stones.” winter wrote.
Supplement needs vary, so it’s best to consult your doctor to determine what’s best for you, rather than dismissing the assumption that you need more vitamins for your health. In the case of vitamin C, overdose is possible.
Vitamin C It is a water-soluble vitamin contained in citrus fruit (think oranges and grapefruits), cruciferous vegetables (such as cauliflower and kale), and potatoes. It plays an important role in the growth of our skin, bones and connective tissue.it is also powerful antioxidantIn other words, it protects cells from free radical damage. At regular doses (75 mg per day for women and 90 mg per day for men), vitamin C supports healthy immune function.
While low levels of vitamin C are undesirable, most people do not. too little vitamin C It can cause problems such as easy bruising and dry and split hair.Causes of Severe Vitamin C Deficiency scurvy, a disease that causes fatigue, anemia, and joint pain, along with bleeding gums and loose teeth. But it’s not common. In the United States, approximately 7.1% of the population can develop some form of vitamin C deficiency. Cleveland ClinicHowever, severe deficiency, which causes scurvy, is rare.
On the flip side, too much vitamin C can also cause problems. Vitamin C is water soluble and does not accumulate in the body. Your kidneys process it and excrete it in your urine, says Winter. By this he means two things. 1: Vitamin C is only excreted in the urine, so high doses do nothing for your health. 2: Potentially dangerous. As the kidneys process the vitamin C overflow, oxalate forms and accumulates, one of the main causes of kidney stones. Over time, the oxalates can crystallize and form kidney stones, Winter said. Kidneys would basically have to work overtime and there would be health implications, she added.
Mild symptoms of an overdose of vitamin C include gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, diarrhea, heartburn, and vomiting. In addition, the higher the dose, the greater the risk of: Kidney stone.can lead to kidney stones block the flow of urine My kidneys are broken and it’s incredibly painful. Some people can pass kidney stones naturally, but others need surgery to recover. In severe cases, too much vitamin C can kidney failure.
“High doses of vitamin C don’t really ‘work’ that much,” he said. Dana Ellis Hannesclinical dietitian, assistant professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and author of “.survival recipe“
Either way, vitamin C supplements probably won’t boost your immune system.
Hunnes said people often want to be healthier or healthier in general, and supplements are usually marketed as a relatively inexpensive way to achieve that.meanwhile vitamins and minerals These are essential for various functions of the body, so it’s important not to get carried away.
“Just because a little is better doesn’t mean a lot is better,” she said.
Dr. Winter said that more and more patients are starting to take supplements, such as vitamin C, to the extreme. in the midst of a pandemic, when many people were looking for Learn about natural ways to boost your immune system. (data It shows that sales of vitamin C skyrocketed in 2020. ) You can find vitamin C products everywhere that claim to improve your health or boost your immune system, but they don’t help.
Despite the widespread availability and availability of such products, in practice no convincing evidence To support the idea that high doses of vitamin C have some effect on the immune system, Winter said. “There is confusion between taking regular vitamin C, treating scurvy, and using excess vitamin C to boost immunity,” she says.
So how much vitamin C should you take?
As mentioned above, Recommended Daily Intake Adult vitamin C intake is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men. Winter says most people get more than enough vitamin C from eating fruits and vegetables or taking a multivitamin and do not need to take vitamin C supplements.eat fruits and vegetables Oranges, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli are among the best ways to get your daily dose of vitamin C. Not only are these foods a good source of vitamins, but the calcium they contain helps inhibit the production of vitamin C. According to kidney stones, harvard health.
That said, vitamin C supplements are recommended for certain underlying health conditions. intestinal malabsorption problems It is also used to reduce the side effects of some drugs such as methenamine. Even in situations like this, which require close monitoring by health care providers, you probably don’t need more than 500 mg of supplements, Winters said.
Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns about the right amount of vitamin C for your needs. of upper limit 2,000 mg per day for adults, But that doesn’t mean it’s worth pushing the limits. Exceeding the recommended daily intake, perhaps double or even triple that, doesn’t really do anything, says Hunnes. “It’s best to take your daily requirement, maybe a little bit more, and be done with it,” she said.
