Why are some vitamins sometimes listed as 1500% of your RDI? and wouldn’t that be damaging to your body?
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Take all of this with a grain of salt. I’m not a health professional and can’t speak to your individual situation.
It depends on which vitamins and minerals you’re talking about. A lot of vitamins are water soluble. That means that your body will only absorb and use what it needs and the rest will get eliminated with the rest of your regular bodily waste in 24 hours or less. The family of “B” vitamins are the best example of this. Most B vitamins are eliminated through your urine and when you take more than you need, they turn your urine bright yellow and may have an increased odor to them.
Other vitamins are fat soluble and your body will hold on to them for far longer. Vitamin A, D, and E are three that I know of with Vitamin A being toxic at high levels. This is why polar bear liver is toxic to humans because polar bears store massive amounts of Vitamin A in their livers. Eating just a small amount of polar bear liver is enough to introduce toxicity. That being said, Beta Carotene is less toxic and readily converted to Vitamin A as needed so it’s generally seen as “safer”.
Minerals are also generally water soluble, but some minerals can cause problems in high doses. A common mineral that can be a problem is Iron. In high doses, it can cause constipation. Getting too much calcium can lead to kidney stones.
In the end, if you’re going to take a supplement that has a high dose of a particular vitamin or mineral, check with your doctor to be sure.
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