Vitamin D dose guidance may not be high enough for heart health

 

• "Vitamin D is an essential nutrient, and researchers are interested in how it may help in several health areas.
• One area of interest is how much vitamin D supplementation is required to achieve potential cardiac benefits.
• An initial analysis in a clinical trial suggests that the current recommended dietary allowance of vitamin D in the United States is too low to achieve optimal vitamin D levels for people with certain cardiac problems.
• Future research in this area will seek to determine if achieving optimal vitamin D levels can decrease the risk for adverse cardiovascular events."

For more details:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/vitamin-d-dose-guidance-may-not-be-high-enough-for-heart-health

And a related blogpost:

https://mysciencehealthmooc.blogspot.com/2023/11/getting-adequate-vitamin-d-in-fall-and.html

"And about Vitamin D toxicity:

In healthy individuals, vitamin D toxicity can result from taking excessive vitamin D supplementation, knowingly or accidentally.[5] Prescription errors without frequent monitoring of vitamin D levels can also result in toxicity.[6] Toxicity resulting from lack of monitoring is frequently seen in patients requiring high doses to treat ailments like osteoporosis, renal osteodystrophy, psoriasis, gastric bypass surgery, celiac, or inflammatory bowel disease.[4][7]

Fortification of foods or supplements with higher than intended amounts of vitamin D has led to toxicity. In 2015, the FDA announced a voluntary recall of multivitamins by Glades Drugs due to excessive amounts of vitamin D. In 2016, the Danish health authority issued a recall for a supplement that had vitamin D levels 75 times higher than recommended. At least 20 children developed toxicity after taking this supplement.

Vitamin D is present in fish, meat, and dairy products, and the dose is rarely enough to cause toxicity.[8] Patients who are on high doses of Vitamin D and taking inadvertently increased amounts of highly fortified milk are also at increased risk for vitamin D toxicity. It can also result from excessive 1,25(OH)2D production in medical ailments like granulomatous disorders and lymphomas.[9]

Excessive sun exposure does not cause vitamin D toxicity due to the regulation and conversion of Vitamin D to its inactive metabolites.[8]

Although mainly reported in animals, exposure to rodenticides containing cholecalciferol can also lead to vitamin D toxicity.[10][11]

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Epidemiology

From 2000 to 2014, a total of 25,397 cases of vitamin D toxicity were reported. Between 2000 and 2005, the annual mean of vitamin D toxicity cases was 196. However, there was a substantial increase of 1600% in exposures from 2005 to 2011, resulting in a new annual mean of 4535 cases.[12] 

According to the latest report from America's Poison Centers (APC), there were 11,718 cases of vitamin D exposure recorded in the National Poison Data System. More than half of these cases were in children younger than 5 years. The vast majority of cases were from unintentional exposures. The total number of vitamin D toxicity cases was greater than the total number of vitamin (vitamins B, A, C, and E) toxicity cases combined. This illustrates the widespread use of vitamin D supplements.[13]"

For more details:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557876/