Too Much Vitamins: Vitamin C Overdose

Most of us would never give any thought to the fact that taking too much vitamins could be dangerous. However, extensive studies have taught us differently. Even dosages we consider to be “common averages” are sometimes actually excessive. A specific study done in Britain involved Vitamin C, which we would consider to be harmless….

It was found that the “common dosage” of 500 milligrams daily is enough to do damage to your genes. Yet many people take as much, or more, trying top prevent colds, and hoping to benefit from the antioxidant characteristics of Vitamin C. Antioxidants are believed to provide some protection against cancer, eye disorders, heart disease, and other chronic health problems. Very few, if any, of these people realize the damage they might cause themselves by taking too much vitamins.

The British research team at the University of Leicester conducted a six week study, running tests on a group of thirty healthy individuals. Administering a daily dose of 500 milligrams of Vitamin C supplement, it was found to not only have an antioxidant effect, but also a pro-oxidant effect on the genetic material. The Adenine bases (part of the DNA), that were not explored in previous studies, were damaged, by the Vitamin C actually promoting the action of free radicals, instead of protecting against it.

Ironically, an American physician, Dr. Victor Herbert from the Sinai School of Medicine in New York, has warned against this for a number of years. Although his work was primarily done in a laboratory, he found that Vitamin C supplements promote the generation of free radicals from iron in the human body. The Vitamin C mobilizes a harmless (ferric) form of iron stored inside the body, converting it to a harmful (ferrous) form of iron, which does damage to the internal organs, even the heart.

Keep in mind these results state the use of Vitamin C SUPPLEMENTS. Natural Vitamin C has antioxidant capabilities, without the effects attributed to supplements. Vitamin C supplements are actually “redox agents”. Depending on the composition of what it comes in touch with, it may act as an antioxidant in some circumstances, yet as a pro-oxidant in others.

In the mid-seventies, a Canadian research team did a similar study, using bacterial cells, human cells grown in the laboratory, and live mice. The dosages they used were larger than the 500 milligrams offered by the British research team, but not much larger than the dosages some people use to ward off the flu. In all three cases, evidence of damage to genetic material was found, proving once more the hazards of taking too much vitamins.

The actual recommended intake of Vitamin C is around 60 milligrams per day, which can easily be obtained from drinking a few ounces of orange juice. Taking excessive dosages, like 500 milligrams daily, will leave you vulnerable to damage from taking too much vitamins.