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|
Nutrient |
Toxic Dosage |
Symptoms and Diseases |
Biotin
|
N/A
|
No side effects from oral administration
at therapeutic doses have been reported
|
Boron
|
>10 mg
|
No side effects reported
|
Calcium
|
>2,000 mg
|
Drowsiness, extreme lethargy, impaired
absorption of iron, zinc and manganese, calcium deposits in tissues
throughout body, mimicking cancer on X-ray
|
Carotene
|
>300 mg
|
Orange discoloration of skin, weakness,
low blood pressure, weight loss, low white cell count
|
Chromium
|
>50 mg
|
Dermatitis, intestinal ulcers, kidney
and liver impairment
|
Copper
|
15 mg
|
Fatigue, poor memory, depression,
insomnia, increased production of free radicals, may suppress immune
function. Violent vomiting and diarrhea. Cooking acid foods in unlined
copper pots can lead to toxic accumulation of copper.
|
Fluoride, acute
|
500 mg
|
Poisons several enzymes, (5,000 mg
lethal)
|
Fluoride, chronic
|
5 mg
|
Fluorosis (white patches on teeth), bone
abnormalities.
|
Folic acid
|
15 mg
|
Abdominal distention, loss of appetite,
nausea, sleep disturbances, may interfere with zinc absorption, may
prevent recognition of vitamin B12 deficiency
|
Iodine
|
2 mg
|
Thyroid impairment, iodine poisoning or
sensitivity reaction.
|
Iron
|
25 mg
|
Intestinal upset, interferes with zinc
and copper absorption, loss of appetite, not safe for those with iron
storage disorders such as hemosiderosis, idiopathic hemochromatosis,
or thalassemias. Toxic build-up in liver, pancreas, and heart.
|
Magnesium
|
N/A
|
Diarrhea at large dosages of poorly
absorbed forms (like Epsom salts). Disturbed nervous system function
because the calcium-to-magnesium ratio is unbalanced; catharsis,
hazard to persons with poor kidney function.
|
Manganese
|
75 mg
|
Toxicity only reported in those working
in manganese mines or drinking from contaminated water supplies, which
results in loss of appetite, neurological damage, loss of memory,
hallucinations, hyperirritability, elevation of blood pressure, liver
damage. Mask-like facial expression, blurred speech, involuntary
laughing, spastic gait, hand tremors.
|
Niacin (B3), acute
|
100 mg
|
Transient flushing, headache, cramps,
nausea, vomiting
|
Niacin (B3), chronic
|
3 gm
|
Anorexia, abnormal glucose tolerance,
gastric ulceration, elevated liver enzymes. Excessive uric acid in
blood, possibly leading to gout. See Thiamin.
|
Pantothenic acid (B5)
|
High dose
|
Occasional diarrhea. Increased need for
thiamin, possibly causing thiamin deficiency symptoms.
|
Phosphorous
|
High dose
|
Distortion of calcium-to-phosphorus
ratio, creating relative deficiency of calcium.
|
Potassium
|
High dose
|
Mental impairment, weakness. Excessive
potassium in blood, causing muscular paralysis and abnormal heart
rhythms.
|
Pyridoxine (B6)
|
300 mg
|
Sensory and motor impairment. Dependency
on high doses, leading to deficiency symptoms when one returns to
normal amounts.
|
Riboflavin B2)
|
N/A
|
No toxic effects have been noted. See
Thiamin.
|
Selenium
|
750 micro gm
|
Diabetes, garlic-breath odor, immune
impairment, loss of hair and nails, irritability, pallor, skin
lesions, tooth decay, nausea, weakness, yellowish skin
|
Thiamin (B1)
|
N/A
|
No toxic effects noted for humans after
oral administration. However, since B Vitamins are interdependent,
excess of one may produce deficiency of others.
|
Vitamin A, acute (infant)
|
75,000 IU
|
Anorexia, bulging fontanelles,
hyperirritability, vomiting
|
Vitamin A, acute (adult)
|
2 million IU
|
Headache, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting
|
Vitamin A, chronic (infant)
|
10,000 IU
|
Premature epiphyseal bone closing, long
bone growth retardation
|
Vitamin A, chronic (adult)
|
50,000 IU
|
Anorexia, headache, bluffed vision, loss
of hair, bleeding lips, cracking and peeling skin, muscular stiffness
and pain, severe liver enlargement and damage, anemia, fetal
abnormalities (pregnant women must be very careful), menstrual
irregularities, extreme fatigue, liver damage, injury to brain and
nervous system.
|
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
|
N/A
|
No side effects from oral administration
have been reported. (See thiamin)
|
Vitamin C, acute
|
10 gm
|
Nausea, diarrhea, flatulence
|
Vitamin C, chronic
|
3 gm
|
Increased urinary oxalate and uric acid
levels in rare cases, impaired carotene utilization, chelation
(binding of vitamin C with minerals) and resultant loss of minerals
may occur, sudden discontinuation can cause rebound scurvy. Kidney and
bladder stones, urinary tract irritation, increased tendency for blood
to clot, breakdown of red blood cells in persons with certain common
genetic disorders (such as glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase
deficiency, common in persons of African origin), may induce B12
deficiency.
|
Vitamin D, acute
|
70,000 IU
|
Loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, headache, excessive urination, excessive thirst
|
Vitamin D, chronic
|
10,000 IU
|
Weight loss, pallor, constipation,
fever, hypocalcaemia. In infants, calcium deposits in kidneys and
excessive calcium in blood; in adults, calcium deposits throughout the
body (may be mistaken for cancer) (pregnant women must be careful),
deafness, nausea, kidney stones, fragile bones, high blood pressure,
high blood cholesterol, increased lead absorption.
|
Vitamin E
|
1,000 IU
|
The safe dose is probably over 2,000,
but some people experience weakness, fatigue, exacerbation of
hypertension, increased activity of anticoagulants at 1,000 IU, while
some research shows that as little as 300 IU can slow down the immune
system. Can destroy some Vitamin K made in the gut. A small amount of
immune suppression is probably a reasonable trade off for vitamin E's
much needed antioxidant activity.
|
Vitamin K
|
|
No known toxicity with natural (phylloquinone);
synthetic (menadione), while relatively safe, when administered to
infants may cause hemolytic and liver enlargement. Anemia in
laboratory animals.
|
Zinc
|
75 mg
|
Gastrointestinal irritation, vomiting,
adverse changes in HDL/LDL cholesterol ratios, impaired immunity.
Nausea, anemia, bleeding in stomach, premature birth and stillbirth,
abdominal pain, fever. Can aggravate marginal copper deficiency. May
produce atherosclerosis.
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