Though it is important for overall health, an overdose of this 'sunshine' vitamin can have ugly consequences A lot has been said about the importance of
Vitamin D
or rather about the ill effects of its deficiency, which could include
symptoms like weakness, poor concentration, restless sleep, weight gain,
headaches, etc. Therefore, it's not surprising to find people
compensating for it through self-medication of the same. Also, it's
inexpensive (cost varies from Rs 34 for an injection to Rs 46 for
tablets and Rs 63 for a suspension approximately) and can be easily
purchased over-the-counter. If you too are guilty of the same, you
better stop doing it with immediate effect. Why, you may ask? Read on to
find out more.
Case 1: Neeta Tejuja (name
changed), a 27-year-old media executive began taking Vitamin D, courtesy
of her friend who told her about its numerous
health benefits.
She began taking it in the form of suspension (a suspension is a liquid
with small pieces of drug) once every 10 days, until she casually
happened to ask her doctor about it who asked her to refrain from doing
so.
Case 2: Afshan Qureshi (name changed), 32-year-old lawyer read about the downside of
deficiency
of Vitamin D and self-diagnosed herself as being deficient due to
fatigue, improper sleep and some weight gain. But that was probably
because of her stressful job and eating fast food on the go.
Nevertheless, Afshan began taking Vitamin D sachets once a week.
Daily ideal requirement
An ideal daily requirement of Vitamin D for our body usually depends
upon one's age. Interventional cardiologist Dr Haresh Mehta says that
generally accepted figures are 400-600 IUs (International Units) in most
people up to the age of 70. However, this requirement may increase
beyond this age and go up to 800 and 1000 IUs. And, in case of
deficiencies or certain illnesses, it can even go up to 1000 to 2000 IUs
per day.
Don't self-diagnose Reading
about symptoms of Vitamin D on the internet or based on hearsay, and
matching them with your general well-being is not a good/correct way to
determine deficiency of Vitamin D. For this, it's best you consult a
doctor who will prescribe test based on your health concerns. Ideally,
the 25-hydroxy Vitamin D test is a good way to determine Vitamin D
levels in the body.
Do not self-medicat
Now that you got the low down on Vitamin D, don't rush to your nearest
drug store to buy it and self-medicate. "It is very unsafe to take
Vitamin D or any supplement without consulting a doctor or health
practitioner as there have been cases where patients have shown toxic
levels of Vitamin D in their blood," warns Syed.
If there's a
deficiency, you must certainly look for Vitamin Dupplements /capsules
/tablets as advised by your doctor. "If taken in excess and high doses —
for eg. above 4000 IUs everyday — for a long period of time, it may
cause high levels of calcium in the blood. This increase in blood
calcium may lead to hardening of arteries or Atherosclerosis, leading to
blocked arteries. Other side effects of excessive intake of Vitamin D
may be dryness in mouth, fatigue, weakness, headache and nausea among
others," warns Dr Mehta.
Obesity leads to Vitamin D deficiency
There are plenty of health studies throwing light on the link between
Vitamin D and weight, specifically, it being beneficial for weight loss.
"It has been hypothesised that because Vitamin D is a fat soluble
vitamin, it is hidden away and stored in fat tissues and muscles and
then released slowly into the circulation. To summarise,
obesity
leads to Vitamin D deficiency and therefore an increase of the
metabolic disorders too. Studies have also shown that calcium with
Vitamin D supplementation has a small effect on prevention of weight
gain in case of inadequate dietary intake," says GI laparoscopic surgeon
and an obesity expert Dr Muffazal Lakdawala.
So, if aiding
your weight loss goal is your reason for self-prescribing Vitamin D,
think again. Nutritionist Zainab Syed recommends supplementation of
Vitamin D for weight loss only combined with moderate form of activity, a
balanced
diet
and lifestyle modifications. "The first consultation is very important
to know the patient's lifestyle, health concerns, etc. based on which I
recommend a few diagnostic tests and then decide on their diet,
supplementation and lifestyle modification," she says.
