Excess vitamin D can be fatal for you! How excess can damage your heart & kidneys
Like other vitamins, vitamin D is also very important for your body to stay healthy. But taking it in excess without thinking can be harmful for your health, that too to the extent that it can even take life.
08:26 PM Aug 18, 2025 IST
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Alka Singh
Vitamin D is obtained by our body from sunlight. But nowadays people take vitamin D supplements to meet its deficiency. Vitamin D is essential for bones and overall health. But do you know that excessive amount of vitamin D can be fatal for you? In 2024, an 89-year-old man died in Britain due to excessive vitamin D intake. Doctors attributed this to taking more vitamin D than required.
They said that the person had taken an overdose of vitamin D, due to which his heart and kidneys failed. In such a situation, today we will know how much vitamin D a common man should take and what happens if it is taken in excess?
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How much vitamin D can a human consume
Health experts, including the Institute of Medicine (now NASEM), say that people between 19 and 70 years of age should take 15 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D daily and those above 70 years of age should take 20 mcg of vitamin D. An adult can take a maximum of 100 mcg every day. If you take more than this daily, then it is like poison for you. At the same time, according to the Cleveland Clinic, even just 100 mcg can be dangerous for some people.
What happens when there is excess vitamin D in the body?
Vitamin D toxicity means that when there is excess of it in the body, the level of calcium in the blood increases. Its initial symptoms include vomiting, nausea, stomach pain and loss of appetite. At the same time, when it becomes more serious, it can cause a person to faint, kidney problems, bone pain, muscle weakness and heart rate problems.
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Who does it affect the most?
Excessive amount of vitamin D affects the kidney first. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), it can cause kidney stones, calcium deposition (nephrocalcinosis) and sudden kidney failure. After this, the heart is affected the most and it can even cause a heart attack.
Summary
Vitamin D is important for health but it should always be taken in the right amount and as per the doctor's advice. People who are at risk of its deficiency should keep getting regular blood tests done so that there is no deficiency of it in your body.
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