Vitamin D also has side effects if you consume too much, the right amount of vitamin D

Vitamin D, Dadaic Sun?

Ms. A took vitamin D supplements every day for five months. Since I usually live indoors, I don't see much sunlight. After reading an article on an Internet site that 5,000 IU of vitamin D was not enough, Mr. A took a high dose of 5,000 IU every day. Five months later, when her vitamin D blood level was tested, she was surprised. This is because vitamin D blood concentration far exceeded the normal range of 30~100 ng/ml, and 120 ng/ml. Surprised, Mr. A posted an inquiry on the bulletin board after the rain expressing concern about the side effects.

Ms. B took 1.5 million IU of vitamin D supplementation in one month. This is because they took two high-dose vitamin D pills a day, which amounted to 25,000 IU per pill. Mr. B, who has no particular abnormalities yet but is worried about his health, posted on a website run by a pharmacist whether there are any side effects.

As such, with the recent increase in interest in vitamin D supplements, the number of cases of overdosing more than necessary is increasing, so caution is needed.

It's true that modern humans are deficient in vitamin D. According to a 2014 survey by the Seoul Institute of Medical Sciences, 86% of adolescents aged 18~20 and 71.1% of adults have vitamin D blood levels below 20ng/ml. That's why the emphasis is on taking vitamin D in the form of supplements. The same is true for developed countries such as the United States. It is known that 9 out of 10 people are insufficient. For this reason, in 2008, Harvard University published a revised version of the food pyramid and officially recommended that vitamin D be taken in the form of nutritional supplements, as it is easy to be deficient in food. Research papers have been published one after another that vitamin D is good for health, such as boosting immunity and reducing the incidence of various cancers.

But too much is not enough. This is because they have been riding on the recent vitamin D boom and encouraging people to take higher doses of vitamin D than necessary. Articles cited from foreign websites of unknown sources are pouring out indiscriminately, recommending an overdose of vitamin D of 5,000~10,000 IU or more.

If the vitamin D blood level is less than 10 ng/ml, it is a morbid condition that may indicate a deficiency such as rickets, and immediate treatment is required. 10~20 ng/ml can be considered vitamin D deficiency.

If so, how much is recommended? Scholars are divided on the appropriate level of vitamin D. The most conservative U.S. National Academy of Medicine recommends a vitamin D blood level of 20 ng/ml or higher considered normal and a daily intake of 600 IU of vitamin D. The American Endocrine Association considers 30 ng/ml or higher to be normal, and recommends daily intake of 1,500~2,000 IU of vitamin D. The American Vitamin D Association recommends taking 5,000 IU of vitamin D, suggesting that it should be as high as 50 ng/ml.

Consuming too much vitamin D at once can lead to symptoms of vitamin D toxicity. This is because fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin D, are not easily excreted through urine and stay in the body for a long time. This can cause side effects such as calcium buildup in the body and kidney stones.