By Previnex®
Vitamin D is essential for maintaining optimal joint health. However, it is possible to take too much and cause an adverse effect. There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to Vitamin D, so let’s dig in.
Can Too Much Vitamin D Cause Aches and Pains?
When it comes to Vitamin D, it’s important to understand its role in the body, the best sources of it, and even the possible side effects of taking too much.
Understanding Vitamin D
At its core, Vitamin D is actually a steroid hormone produced from cholesterol when your skin gets sunshine. But since we don’t get nearly enough sun, it’s important to obtain Vitamin D from your diet and supplementation. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which simply means it dissolves in fats and oils and can be stored in your body for long periods of time. There are two main forms of Vitamin D:
- Vitamin D3 is found in animal foods like egg yolks
- Vitamin D2 is found in plants, mushrooms, and yeast.
Role of Vitamin D in the Body
Vitamin D plays a crucial role in our entire bodily system. Scientists have identified over 2,000 genes that are influenced by Vitamin D! It helps maintain bone health and increase bone development, and it supports your musculoskeletal, immune, and nervous systems. Basically, it’s a powerhouse that helps our bodies function as optimally as possible. Being deficient in Vitamin D can hurt your overall health, and especially your bone health—not getting enough Vitamin D can cause bone pain, muscle weakness and cramping, and even arthritis symptoms.
Sources of Vitamin D
One of the most common ways to get Vitamin D is from the sun! But—especially in the winter months—it’s important to increase your intake with a high-quality supplement or foods rich in Vitamin D. Some of those foods are:
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Beef liver
- Eggs
- Sardines
- Foods fortified with Vitamin D, such as high-quality dairy products
- Cod liver oil—a single tablespoon contains almost 2x the reference daily intake!
Even if you’re safely spending lots of time in the sun and eating Vitamin-D-rich foods, supplementing with a high-quality Vitamin D supplement may be a good idea.
What are the Symptoms of Vitamin D Overuse?
While we’ve talked about what Vitamin D does and how it supports our bodies, it’s also important to note that it is possible to take too much of a Vitamin D supplement and that while Vitamin D toxicity is uncommon, taking too much can come with side effects. Vitamin D toxicity typically leads to hypercalcemia, which is a buildup of calcium in your blood. Common symptoms of too much Vitamin D and hypercalcemia are:
- Decrease in appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Constipation
- Dehydration
- Frequent urination
- Kidney stones
- Muscle weakness
- Bone pain
Bone Pain and Muscle Pain
Taking too much Vitamin D—particularly Vitamin D supplements—can cause significant bone pain. Having an excess of Vitamin D can lower Vitamin K levels, which makes it more difficult for your body to use calcium properly, leading to brittle bones, bone loss, and bone pain. Since Vitamin D toxicity typically causes hypercalcemia, it can decrease your bone density, make your bones more prone to fractures, cause cysts on your bones, and even impact the way you walk. While Vitamin D is crucial to help your body function well, it’s important to monitor the amount you’re consuming. In addition to causing issues with your bones, too much Vitamin D can cause muscle weakness, aches, and cramping, especially in all large muscle groups.
Serious Health Implications
Vitamin D toxicity is rare, but it does happen, and it can be serious. Given that it typically causes hypercalcemia, it can progress to severe bone problems, kidney problems, calcium stones, and more. Hypercalcemia—the buildup of excess calcium in the blood—can cause many serious health issues. It makes your kidneys work harder, leading to excess thirst and frequent urination (and eventually kidney or calcium stones); it can cause nausea, vomiting, and constipation; it can cause bone and muscle weakness since the excess calcium that is needed is being taken from the bones; it can affect your overall brain function, causing focus issues, drowsiness, confusion, and fatigue; and, while rare, it can impact your heart function.
Can Vitamin D Cause Arthritis Pain?
We know taking too much Vitamin D can cause bone and muscle pain and weakness, but can it cause arthritis pain? What about a Vitamin D deficiency—can that cause joint pain and swelling? Let’s look at Vitamin D and what it does for joint health.
Vitamin D and Joint Health
Generally speaking, Vitamin D helps regulate calcium in your body, which helps support your bone strength and actually prevent joint pain. In one review of studies, researchers found that those with rheumatoid arthritis had less Vitamin D in their systems than those without rheumatoid arthritis. Vitamin D is typically recommended for those who have arthritic conditions to alleviate joint pain and stiffness. It has strong anti-inflammatory properties and contributes to reducing pro-inflammatory mediators.
Vitamin D Deficiency and Joint Pain
If you’re struggling with joint pain, you are most likely deficient in one or more vitamins, including Vitamin D. Since your body uses Vitamin D to both develop and maintain your bones, being deficient can cause fatigue, bone pain, muscle weakness, arthritis symptoms, and even mood changes. Particularly in adults, Vitamin D deficiency can cause osteomalacia (the softening of the bones) and even osteoporosis.
Studies on Vitamin D and Arthritis
Studies have shown that Vitamin D deficiency has been linked, in particular, to rheumatoid arthritis. One study in particular showed that Vitamin D deficiency is “highly prevalent” in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and that this deficiency may even be linked to how severe the arthritis is. The study also concluded that supplementing with Vitamin D may help prevent osteoporosis and provide pain relief for those struggling with rheumatoid arthritis.
Can Too Much Vitamin D Cause Inflammation?
Vitamin D plays a crucial role in immune function and in fighting inflammation. But can too much Vitamin D cause inflammation? Let’s look at the impact Vitamin D has on immune function and inflammation.
Vitamin D and Immune Function
Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins when it comes to helping the immune system function well. It regulates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, thus facilitating a healthy immune function. It can also help fight infection and other autoimmune responses. Vitamin D can modulate both the innate immune system (the body’s first line of defense) and the adaptive immune system (the body’s defense mechanism that’s activated when a foreign substance penetrates the innate immune system).
There has recently been an increased amount of evidence linking Vitamin D deficiency to autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Vitamin D supports the immune system by modulating the activity of toll-like receptors (helps create a natural immune response), suppressing inflammation, regulating gut health, and more.
Inflammatory Responses to Excess Vitamin D
Excess Vitamin D can, in fact, cause inflammation. In particular, hypercalcemia can cause acute pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). But when taken properly, Vitamin D can actually help to fight inflammation and inflammatory diseases.
Balancing Vitamin D Intake and Safety Guidelines
To ensure you’re taking Vitamin D safely, it’s important to consult your healthcare professional. Just like with any supplement, Vitamin D can interact adversely with other supplements and medications, so it’s important you consult your care team before you make any additions or changes.
To balance your Vitamin D intake, give yourself a variety of time in the sun, a Vitamin D supplement (with doctor consultation), and eat Vitamin D-rich foods. Also, make sure to consult your healthcare professional about the amount of Vitamin D you should be taking! It’s recommended to take at least 2,000 IU of Vitamin D or D3 per day, and for the best health benefits, taking around 6,000-8,000 IU is best for long-term and ongoing benefits. But again, consult your healthcare professional before you add any amount to your supplement routine.
Conclusion
It’s important to have a well-rounded supplement regimen, and if you’re dealing with joint pain or need extra joint support, consider adding Joint Health PLUS® to your line-up! With NEM® and Boswellin® being the stars of the show, these ingredients are proven to relieve pain, reduce stiffness, and improve flexibility. NEM®, in particular, is clinically proven to be 5x more beneficial than glucosamine and chondroitin alone or combined! Get yourself a bottle of Joint Health PLUS® today.
