Why hungover Aussie men are at risk of multivitamin overdoses

QUESTION: Hi Dr Zac, When my roommate is hungover he’ll drink a glass of water with 5 Berocca tablets. If that isn’t sufficient, he additionally swallows a handful of multivitamins! He says it soothes his head, and his soul. I feel it’s really doing extra hurt than good, and the primary clue is that our bathroom water stays shiny orange for the following two days.

Am I appropriate, is an excessive amount of of a great factor a foul factor? – Stacee, 25, Sydney

ANSWER: You needs to be contacting the Environmental Protection Authority – your bathroom bowl is actually the Elephant’s Foot in Chernobyl! If you’ve had a Berocca earlier than, you’ll know the sight and scent of your first pee after ingesting it. It smells the way it tasted, and appears the identical as nicely. That’s as a result of your physique didn’t contact it.

When you eat issues orally it’s your saliva that begins the digestion course of. It then passes by way of your abdomen, the place acid breaks issues down additional earlier than heading into your small gut. The micro organism and enzymes within the small gut then work collectively to attempt to soak up as many vitamins as attainable.

Healthy consuming

A key to wholesome dwelling is ample diet of the 13 important nutritional vitamins composing A, C, D, E, Ok together with the B nutritional vitamins. Research reveals that the dangers of most of the persistent well being circumstances that happen in older folks will be largely decreased with good diet all through life.

One of the issues folks neglect although, is that consuming a lot of salad and having a nicely rounded weight-reduction plan offers loads of vitamins. Sometimes having a booster for those who’re feeling rundown, drained or simply have extra stress will be very helpful.

Vitamins

Once absorbed, your physique isn’t so nice at containing all of the water soluble nutritional vitamins (C and B principally). In truth, it really ignores most of them because it passes by way of your physique and solely picks just a few it needs or wants, which is why it’s necessary to get the water soluble nutritional vitamins in day by day as they solely keep helpful and within the circulation for a few hours.

Overdose threat

To reply your query plain and easily: sure.

You can overdose on nutritional vitamins and minerals. In truth, these 5 Beroccas and that handful of multivitamins might as nicely be one other spherical of tequila photographs with the quantity of pressure it places in your physique to course of them. Just like every medicine that must be dosed accurately. Having extra of one thing doesn’t essentially make it higher. In truth it might really develop into poisonous.

Multiple vitamin overdose happens when somebody takes greater than the conventional or beneficial quantity of multivitamin dietary supplements. Any ingredient in multivitamins will be poisonous in massive doses, however the primary ones to fret about are iron, calcium, vitamin D and vitamin A.

If you had 5 Beroccas, your physique would flip itself right into a pee machine. It places all its eggs within the ‘get it the hell out of my body’ basket. That’s why your urine is commonly radioactive trying. If you’re feeling rundown and are wanting a lift, a much better thought can be to place one Berocca in a litre of water.

Absorption points

Another difficulty with having a lot of nutritional vitamins abruptly on an empty abdomen is that the fats soluble nutritional vitamins A, D, E and Ok must be damaged down and absorbed with fats. A good way to do that is to have some nuts or have them submit meal as in any other case they’ll be filtered out, unabsorbed, not even making it out of your abdomen earlier than hitting the bathroom bowl.

Common indicators

A typical signal of taking too many nutritional vitamins and minerals is a change within the color of your urine. Colours to be anxious about are shiny orange, reddish or pink. It’s okay if this occurs sometimes, however any sudden and constant adjustments must be addressed by seeing the physician.

One dimension doesn’t match all

Multivitamins look like the right reply to wellness, however they could as nicely be a 3-in-1 shampoo, conditioner and physique wash. One dimension doesn’t match all with regards to your well being!

The takeaway is to do not forget that acquiring important vitamins by way of a balanced weight-reduction plan is usually one of the best method. Supplements needs to be used to fill particular dietary gaps somewhat than as a substitute for a nutritious diet.

Here’s a information to follow-up

1. Consult a healthcare skilled: A health care provider or registered dietitian can consider your complement routine and assess whether or not you take extreme quantities of nutritional vitamins. They can assessment your general well being, dietary habits, and any signs it’s possible you’ll be experiencing to offer personalised recommendation.

2. Nutrient testing: There are specialised assessments accessible that may measure the degrees of sure nutritional vitamins in your blood. These assessments will help decide you probably have deficiencies or excesses of particular nutritional vitamins. Your healthcare skilled can suggest and interpret these assessments for you.

3. Pay consideration to signs: Excessive consumption of sure nutritional vitamins can result in particular signs. For instance, extreme vitamin C consumption might trigger digestive points comparable to diarrhoea, whereas extra vitamin B6 may cause nerve harm with tingling fingers. If you expertise any uncommon signs or unintended effects, it’s important to seek the advice of with a healthcare skilled to find out whether or not they’re associated to your vitamin consumption.

4. Monitor your vitamin consumption: Keep monitor of the nutritional vitamins and dosages you take every day.

Got a query: askdrzac@conciergedoctors.com.au

Dr Zac Turner has a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Sydney. He is each a medical practitioner and a co-owner of telehealth service, Concierge Doctors. He was additionally a registered nurse and can also be a professional and skilled biomedical scientist together with being a PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering.