| Vitamins and minerals are essential, in a very small | | | | long bones of the upper and lower extremities, which |
| amount; for healthy growth and development. They | | | | may be exacerbated by exercise; epiphyseal capping |
| cannot be synthesized in the body. The body only | | | | and premature epiphyseal closure, may occur in |
| utilizes them without breaking them down, which is the | | | | children. Neurological effects include blurred vision and |
| reason why they are only required in "small amounts". | | | | frontal headache, craniotabes in children, or bulging |
| Vitamins and nutrients are often regarded as wonder | | | | fontanelle in infants. Chronic vitamin D overdose |
| nutrients and are thus normally believed to be free | | | | effects include the above symptoms and constipation, |
| from side effects.However vitamin overdose may | | | | anorexia, polydipsia, polyuria, backache, hyperlipidemia, |
| cause discomfort and other potentially serious damage | | | | and hypercalcemia followed by hypertension and |
| to the body. Vitamins are usually separated into | | | | cardiac arrhythmias. Vitamin E overdose causes |
| water-soluble (e.g., the B vitamins, vitamin C) and | | | | nausea, headache, fatigue, easy bruising and bleeding |
| fat-soluble (e.g., vitamins A, D, E, K) groups. Vitamins | | | | muscle weakness, and creatinuria.Chronic vitamin E |
| overdose of vitamin B and C are excreted in the body | | | | overdose effects include all of the above, suppression |
| but fat-soluble vitamin overdose tend to accumulate | | | | of other antioxidants, and increased risk of |
| and eventually cause poisoning when high levels of | | | | hemorrhagic stroke. Vitamin K overdose typically |
| concentration in the body have been reached. Each | | | | associated with formula-fed infants or those receiving |
| vitamin also has specific symptoms associated with its | | | | synthetic vitamin K-3 (menadione) injections. Because |
| vitamin overdose. The good news is that morbidity and | | | | of its toxicity, menadione is no longer used for |
| mortality from pure vitamins overdose are rare. One | | | | treatment of vitamin K deficiency. Effects may include |
| study of acute or chronic vitamin overdoses, with | | | | jaundice in newborns, hemolytic anemia, and |
| more than 40,000 exposures, reported 1 death and 8 | | | | hyperbilirubinemia. Most adults can obtain enough |
| major adverse outcomes. Vitamin A overdose can | | | | vitamins by eating a well-balanced diet. It has, however, |
| cause headache, nausea, diarrhea, dry itchy skin, hair | | | | become increasingly common for people to take |
| loss and loss of appetite. Fatigue and irregular | | | | vitamins at levels far greater than the recommended |
| menstruation are common. In extreme this vitamin | | | | dietary allowance RDA. Balanced amounts of each |
| overdose there can be bone pain and enlargement of | | | | and every vitamin in the body should be properly |
| liver and spleen. High doses of beta carotene may turn | | | | followed, as an excessive in take of one vitamin can |
| the skin yellowish orange. Meanwhile, vitamin A | | | | adversely affect the body's use of another vitamin |
| overdose in pregnancy may lead to birth defects. | | | | even though the second vitamin is present in normal |
| Vitamin D overdose may lead to calcium deposits in | | | | amounts. For instance, deficiency in vitamin K is |
| soft tissues, blood vessels walls and kidneys. In children | | | | attributed by large amounts of vitamin E. Vitamin E |
| this will cause growth retardation.Musculoskeletal | | | | overdose changes the body's need for vitamin K to |
| effects include pain and tenderness, particularly in the | | | | the point of causing vitamin K deficiency. |