Some two-thirds of Americans don’t get enough bone-strengthening vitamin D. That’s especially true during the cold and dark winter months when people are deprived of the vitamin D provided by the sun’s warming rays.
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteomalacia, a rare bone disorder that causes bone pain and muscle weakness. But taking too much vitamin D can also be a major problem, resulting in similar symptoms, and sometimes a rare and toxic blood condition.
Hypercalcemia is caused by higher-than-normal levels of the bone-strengthening mineral calcium in the blood that can lead to kidney failure, an abnormal heartbeat and even coma.
“Hypercalcemia can cause upset stomach and vomiting, weakness, and frequent urination,” the Mayo Clinic explains. “It also can lead to bone pain and kidney troubles such as kidney stones.”
Fatigue, bone pain, nausea, constipation, depression, forgetfulness, a decrease in appetite, muscle aches and cramping and more frequent thirst are common symptoms of hypercalcemia.
Snow and rain falls as people visit a dark and stormy New York City’s Times Square in January 2024. Many people take vitamin D supplements during the cold and dark winter months, but taking too much can cause serious health issues (AFP via Getty Images)
Severe cases may require hospitalization, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Some doctors may prescribe steroids that work to reduce calcium levels. Checking blood calcium levels using blood tests can tell doctors if you have hypercalcemia.
A mild reading would be 10.5 to 11.9 milligrams of calcium per deciliter, while levels between 14 and 16 milligrams of calcium per deciliter would signal a medical emergency.
Hypercalcemia impacts 1-2 percent of the general population, according to the Cleveland Clinic, but it can affect anyone, at any age.
Not all cases can be prevented but people should avoid excess calcium pills. No one should take more than 4,000 international units of vitamin D per day, the Cleveland Clinic advises. This standardized unit of measurement is used for vitamins that can be dissolved in fats or oils, such as vitamins A and D.
Vitamin D pills sold online contain between 1,000 and 5,000 international units and are not approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The majority of Americans don’t get enough bone-strengthening vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency can also come with dangerous health consequences, including a bone disorder (Getty Images/iStock)
Before seventy, most people only need 600 international units a day to get enough vitamin D.
Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D. Salmon and other fatty fish are the exception, with 3.5 ounces of wild caught salmon providing between 600 and 1,000 units, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Egg yolks have around 20 international units and shiitake mushrooms contain 100 international units per 3.5 ounces.
Some milk, orange juice, yogurt, butter, cheese and breakfast cereal have vitamin D that’s been added in. People should check their labels.
You’re not likely to get vitamin D toxicity from eating foods with vitamin D, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“Experts also don’t think you can get vitamin D toxicity from sun exposure. The skin makes vitamin D in response to the sun’s rays. But the body controls the amount of vitamin D made this way,” the clinic says.