Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Beállítások

[ambiguousscourge]

I learnt a few years ago that even vitamin and mineral supplements can be lethally toxic if an overdose is taken, when I saw a program on TV. A family was moving houses that week, so Mum had packed the contents of the medicine cabinet, along with just about everything else in the house. Their little boy went digging in the box, found his vitamins, and started eating them like they were Halloween candy without telling anyone. By morning he had flu-like symptoms. Mum wasn't worried until she found spilled vitamins on his clothes, and around half his bedroom. She rushed him to hospital, and his stomach had to be pumped. He'd taken in too much iron or something. The boy was fine, but he learnt his lesson.



The thing I'm wondering about is, what about people who take several different types of multivitamins? Potentially, one person could be taking a different vitamin geared for their age, their gender, their level of physical activity, menopause or pregnancy, and a general multivitamin just to make sure they're getting everything they need. But most of those would have several components in common, resulting in the person getting several times their daily requirements for some vitamins or minerals. My question is, at what level do each of the various vitamins and minerals become toxic? How much is too much?

[joselcollin]

I recently started taking Selenium in addition to my other supplements. It's an antioxidant which is supposed to greatly reduce the chances of me getting cancer. Would anyone care to comment on that?

[utmostacidic]

I recently started taking Selenium in addition to my other supplements. It's an antioxidant which is supposed to greatly reduce the chances of me getting cancer. Would anyone care to comment on that?

Some studies have shown selenium to be effective in the prevention of some cancers. However, the therapeutic window for selenium is quite narrow, so I would be very careful not to take too much.

Personally, I would avoid micro-nutrient supplements unless you've been diagnosed as deficient by a licensed MD [which I am not]. This is just my opinion though, as many of the effects of trace nutrient deficiency or overdose are not that well understood. I would ere on the side of caution.