Long-term consequences of hypervitaminosis

Hypervitaminosis only leads to long-term consequences in very few cases, since a large part of the vitamins is excreted by the body when they accumulate excessively. Furthermore, once hypervitaminosis has been diagnosed, the effective treatment is to stop or reduce the amount of vitamins immediately. This usually prevents long-term consequences.

However, if a vitamin does accumulate in the body over a longer period of time, this can have various consequences. Often the vitamin is deposited, which often affects the liver. This can lead to functional disorders of the liver and the organ often enlarges.

In addition, kidney dysfunction often occurs, as the kidneys try to excrete the water-soluble vitamins in the urine. In addition, there are more specific symptoms that depend on the type of vitamin. Hypervitaminosis E, for example, can lead to coagulation disorders, which can be aggravated if there are previous limitations. The nervous system is also frequently affected by hypervitaminosis, which can manifest itself in various sensory deficits.

Causes of hypervitaminosis

Hypervitaminosis is caused by an excessive intake of vitamins. This leads to an accumulation of vitamins in the body, which can manifest itself through various symptoms. Fat-soluble vitamins are particularly affected by this, as they cannot be excreted with the urine via the kidneys, unlike water-soluble vitamins.

The risk of these vitamins being deposited in various tissues in the body and causing symptoms is correspondingly higher. Excessive intake can occur in various ways. For example, an unbalanced or unbalanced diet can lead to an overdose of vitamins.

However, dietary supplements or vitamin preparations can also cause an excess of vitamins in the body if the daily intake is too high. Hypervitaminosis can also occasionally be caused by medical personnel, for example when nutrition is administered over a long period of time by stomach tube or parenterally, i.e. by infusion. These often contain large amounts of vitamins.In rare cases, congenital diseases that disrupt the breakdown of vitamins can also lead to hypervitaminosis.

For example, a certain genetic defect prevents vitamin D from being broken down and excreted, which means that it accumulates more in the body. Hypervitaminosis can theoretically occur with all vitamins. There are, however, vitamins for which it is more likely than others.

These include first and foremost the fat-soluble vitamins. These are vitamins A, D, E and K. Unlike the water-soluble vitamins, they cannot be filtered and excreted through the kidneys into the urine if they accumulate excessively in the body. Instead, these vitamins are deposited in various tissues of the body, making hypervitaminosis more likely. Hypervitaminosis, which is caused by poor nutrition, mainly affects vitamin A. This vitamin is present in high quantities in the liver and can therefore accumulate in the body when regularly consuming animal liver or cod liver oil.