Home > Excess vitamin C- overdose
The value to decide whether it is excess or overdose of vitamin C is highly notional and very relative.
A person's age, gender, health condition, food habits, surroundings and many other factors decide whether the given quantity is excess overdose for him.
To determine a quantity as excess of vitamin C is a controversial matter.
Though national health institutions of many countries have prescribed RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) of ascorbic acid, it is being disputed by many research institutions.
The level may be sufficient for staving off scurvy and developing deficiency symptoms.
But to fully reap the benefits of ascorbic acid much higher intake is required.
Given below are some of the RDA values for comparison.
| UK Food Standards Agency | 75 mg/day |
| Health Canada | 60 mg/day |
| World Health Organisation | 45mg/day |
| US National Academy of Sciences | 60-90 mg/day |
The US Upper tolerable intake level for 25 years old person is 2000 mg/day.
Their production has been quantified in many studies.
When we arrive at a value corresponding to a man weighing 150 pounds it works out to be between 2-3 grams/day.
Excess overdose of ascorbic acid is excreted in urine.
Persons who are ill, old and under stress retain more of it.
The efficiency of ascorbic acid in increasing the immunity and fighting diseases is a proven one and it is most effective when taken at a dose close to the bowel tolerance level.
Hence levels beyond that may be considered as vitamin C overdose.
However this very value of excess could be anywhere between 4-15 gms per day.
The Nobel Laureate Dr.Linus Pauling, an advocate of high doses of it for good health was himself consuming 18 grams of ascorbic acid per day and he lived to be over 90 years.
However excess of vitamin C is not without any problems.
Stomach ache, flatulence and diarrhea are some of the problems noted with overdose of vitamin C.
Stomach ache, flatulence and diarrhea are some of the problems noted with overdose of vitamin C.
Related posts:
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
Functions
Benefits
Toxicity
side effects
Vitamin C foods - Sources.
Current topic:
Effects of excess and overdose of vitamin C.
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