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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