Vitamin D is one of the most popular vitamins on the market. That’s because are deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D3 is believed to be the most effective supplement to replenish low levels of this essential nutrient. But did you know that too much vitamin D3 can pose problems?
It’s true. Just Google cholecalciferol (which is a proper name for Vitamin D3) and pesticide. Cholecalciferol is a form of vitamin D that is commonly used as rodenticide. SO The same Vitamin D that is in your supplements is used to kill rats. In 1984, cholecalciferol was registered for use as a rodenticide and made by the Dutch manufacturer Phillips-Dunphar and Wisconsin-based Bell Laboratories, the Environmental Protection Agency explained in a report. When approved as a rodenticide, its toxicity on humans had not been properly researched. Is Cholecalciferol toxic to humans?
Obviously, the dose matters. When ingested in toxic amounts, cholecalciferol can cause life-threatening rises in blood calcium (called hypercalcemia) which can lead to kidney failure, bone loss and bone pain, impaired cognitive function, depression, abnormal heart rhythm, and cardiac arrest.
THE PROBLEM WITH SYNTHETIC VITAMIN D
Vitamin D pulls calcium from the digestive tract and other tissues and releases it into the blood. This is why high dose Vitamin D can kill rodents. Cholecalciferol doesn’t offer too much room for safety, meaning that even tiny amounts ingested can result in death.
This is why you should be getting your vitamins from high quality plant and animal foods, not synthetic vitamins.
According to a study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, vitamin D toxicity occurs from very high doses. The study points that vitamin D in animal products is rarely enough to cause toxicity, as the body regulates the amount it gets from the food.
So if you taking vitamin D in pill form, make sure it doesn’t say cholecalciferol on the label. You should think twice about your dosage of vitamin D.
WHAT I TAKE DAILY
Organ meat is your best bet if want to boost your intake of Vitamin D. A 3-ounce serving of beef liver gives you 42 international units of vitamin D. The same portion of beef kidney gives you 38 international units.