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Do High Doses Of Vitamin D Supplements Lead To Hypercalcemia?
Question: Would hypervitaminosis from 3000 micrograms of vit D orally daily for a year, cause/contribute to hypercalcemia. Resulting in calcification of colon tissue. Spotty. The whole intestinal tract. I was borderline low 28/29 on Vit D and B12 and have been taking supplement for the pays year. B12 is 600 now ; D is 31.8 ;
But an X-ray of mildly arthritic hips shows what appears to be calcification areas along the entire colon.
But an X-ray of mildly arthritic hips shows what appears to be calcification areas along the entire colon.
Brief Answer:
Vitamin D
Detailed Answer:
Hypervitaminosis D can cause hypercalcemia. The definition of hypervitaminosis D is a blood level of more than 100 ng/ml.
This tends to typically occur with doses in excess of 5000 to 10000 IU daily. But there is no specific dose that guarantees whether hypervitaminosis will occur or not. Hypercalcemia will ensue only if hypervitaminosis D happens first.
So unless blood levels of 25 hydroxy vitamin D cross 100 ng/ml, consequent hypercalcemia is extremely unlikely.
That being said, I would also like to emphasize that many people need several thousand IU (International Units) of vitamin D daily to maintain normal blood concentrations.
Your levels have gone up from 28/29 to 31.8 over the last year. This is just about sufficient. So you are far from 'toxic' levels that could potentially induce hypercalcemia.
Calcification of body tissues like blood vessels tends to occur as we grow older, even with normal levels of calcium in the blood. However if there appears to more widespread calcification then it would be worthwhile to undergo further testing such as blood calcium levels.
Vitamin D
Detailed Answer:
Hypervitaminosis D can cause hypercalcemia. The definition of hypervitaminosis D is a blood level of more than 100 ng/ml.
This tends to typically occur with doses in excess of 5000 to 10000 IU daily. But there is no specific dose that guarantees whether hypervitaminosis will occur or not. Hypercalcemia will ensue only if hypervitaminosis D happens first.
So unless blood levels of 25 hydroxy vitamin D cross 100 ng/ml, consequent hypercalcemia is extremely unlikely.
That being said, I would also like to emphasize that many people need several thousand IU (International Units) of vitamin D daily to maintain normal blood concentrations.
Your levels have gone up from 28/29 to 31.8 over the last year. This is just about sufficient. So you are far from 'toxic' levels that could potentially induce hypercalcemia.
Calcification of body tissues like blood vessels tends to occur as we grow older, even with normal levels of calcium in the blood. However if there appears to more widespread calcification then it would be worthwhile to undergo further testing such as blood calcium levels.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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