In an ideal world, everybody would be eating a perfectly balanced diet every day, getting all daily needed vitamins and minerals. However, sometimes our food choices aren’t as optimal and varied to meet these requirements. That’s when supplements come in-theoretically, at least. People's eagerness to do anything that might boost health and immunity has driven demand. It's well known that people who eat lots of vitamin and mineral rich foods tend to be healthier, But when those nutrients are served up in pill form, it’s still unclear whether they have the same effect. However, taking too much of some nutrients can be dangerous. More than 6,300 reports of serious adverse events associated with dietary supplements, including vitamins and herbs, streamed into the FDA from supplement companies, consumers, health-care providers, and others between 2007 and mid-April of 2012. Although the FDA gets far more reports about serious problems with prescription medication than about supplements. There’s a big difference between the two, as these powerful medications are actually saving lives when used appropriately, but when healthy consumers use supplements, there’s rarely, if ever, a powerful life saving effect. Although directions for safe dosing are listed on most supplement bottles, it’s common practice to take more than what’s recommended. While most people aren't getting megadoses but for example, if you eat a fortified cereal at breakfast, an energy bar between meals, enriched pasta for dinner, as well as taking a daily supplement, you could easily be over the recommended daily intake of a host of nutrients. Certain water-soluble vitamins have no observable toxicity and hence no set upper limit. These vitamins include vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), vitamin B7 (biotin), and vitamin B12 (cobalamin). It’s important to note that while these vitamins have no observable toxicity, some of them may interact with medications and interfere with blood testing results. Therefore, caution should be taken with all nutritional supplements. Hypervitaminosis of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K can cause problems, and even some standard doses may interfere with certain prescription medicine. Some people may experience adverse effects from too much calcium or iron. Vitamin A Toxicity usually results from chronic and excessive intake, generally for weeks or months of preformed vitamin A, from foods (such as fish or animal liver), supplements, or prescription medications (long-term use of certain acne treatments such as isotretinoin). Symptoms include nausea, increased intracranial pressure, coma, and even death. In a pregnant or soon-to-become pregnant woman, the correct amount of vitamin A is crucial for the development of a fetus. However, excess vitamin A consumption during pregnancy is known to cause birth defects that may affect a baby’s eyes, skull, lungs, and heart. Vitamin D If you get some midday sun exposure during the warmer months and regularly consume vitamin D-rich foods, such as fatty fish, eggs, and fortified dairy products, you probably don’t need to take a supplement. Symptoms of vitamin D toxicity appear several months after excessive doses of vitamin D are administered. An excess of vitamin D causes. abnormally high blood concentrations of calcium, which can cause over calcification of the bones, soft tissues, heart and kidneys. In addition, hypertension can result. Adults who regularly far exceed the 4,000 international units (IUs) daily might end up with serious heart problems. Vitamin E Research has not found any adverse effects from consuming vitamin E in food. However, high doses of alpha-tocopherol supplements can cause hemorrhage and interrupt blood coagulation. Doses of up to 1,000 mg/day (1,500 IU/day of the natural form or 1,100 IU/day of the synthetic form) in adults appear to be safe, But long-term intakes above the UL increase the risk of adverse health effects. Folic acid It is usually added to enriched grain products to help prevent birth defects in babies due to folic acid deficiency in pregnant women. While folic acid fortification has cut the number of birth defects by 25% to 50%, it might have created other health concerns in people getting too much. It's not hard to get more than 1,000 micrograms of folic acid a day (the safe upper limit for adults) from fortified foods and supplements on a regular basis. Doing so might hide the signs of a vitamin B12 deficiency in older adults. Vitamin B12 deficiency can sometimes lead to permanent nerve damage if left untreated. Megavitamin-B6 syndrome It is a collection of symptoms that can result from chronic supplementation, or acute overdose, of vitamin B6. Although it is water-soluble vitamin, it has a half-life of 25–33 days and accumulates in the body where it is stored in muscle, plasma, the liver, red blood cells and bound to proteins in tissues. Megavitamin-B6 syndrome has been reported in doses as low as 24 mg/day. High doses of vitamin B6 can be neurotoxic. Presenting with: Peripheral sensory neuropathy (experienced as numbness, pins-and-needles and burning sensations in a patient's limbs on both sides of their body), Ataxia (unsteadiness of gait, incoordination), Choreoathetosis (involuntary muscle movement). Although vitamin supplements are safely consumed by many people on a daily basis, it’s possible to take too high of a dose, which can result in adverse side effects. The best way to get the nutrients you need is by consuming a well-rounded diet. However, many people need to supplement with vitamins for a variety of reasons. Age, genetic disorders, medical conditions, and diet are all factors that can increase the need for certain nutrients. Fortunately, vitamins are typically safe to take as long as they are used responsibly. Keep in mind that in certain circumstances, your healthcare provider may recommend that you take more than the upper limit for certain nutrients to correct a deficiency.