Vitamin C overdose

Carola Felchner is a freelance writer in the medical department and a certified training and nutrition advisor. She worked for various specialist magazines and online portals before becoming a freelance journalist in 2015. Before starting her internship, she studied translation and interpreting in Kempten and Munich.

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A vitamin C overdose is generally not an issue in healthy people: the body normally simply excretes excess vitamin C with the urine. In people with certain clinical pictures, however, an overdose of vitamin C can certainly involve risks. Find out more about the reasons and effects of too much vitamin C and the symptoms of a vitamin C allergy here.

Vitamin C Overdose: Causes

From a scientific point of view, it is very difficult to determine a vitamin C overdose. It is unclear whether measuring the vitamin C value in the blood actually brings anything. The normal values ​​are not clearly defined, there are only reference values ​​and recommendations. It is therefore difficult to correctly assess the level of vitamin C.

The normal value is a vitamin C level of 5 to 15 mg / l blood. Based on this, both a vitamin C deficiency and a vitamin C overdose can be determined. The latter, however, almost never occurs in healthy people, as vitamin C is water-soluble. The body simply excretes too much ascorbic acid with the urine. However, if you take high-dose vitamin C over a longer period of time, for example in tablet or powder form, there may be a vitamin C surplus. This risk exists especially with metabolic diseases.

Vitamin C overdose: side effects

Usually, a vitamin C overdose is not dangerous for healthy people. However, people who are sensitive to vitamin C can experience indigestion and diarrhea.

Since vitamin C is excreted by the kidneys, people with kidney failure are at a more serious risk of overdosing. Vitamin C in high concentrations can lead to an increased formation of oxalic acid. This increases the risk of kidney stones.

Vitamin C: allergy

Regardless of the dose, some people are allergic to vitamin C. This happens quite often. However, an allergy to vitamin C is often not recognized as such, because the allergic reaction can also result from many other components that are found in foods containing vitamin C (citrus fruits, peppers, etc.). Often these are, for example, preservatives with which fruits and vegetables have been treated, or the so-called chlorogenic acid. This is a natural substance that is found in many plants.

Symptoms of a vitamin C allergy can include itching of the throat, swelling (lips), redness, blistering, and a furry tongue. If you suspect an allergy, you should see a doctor and have an allergy test done.

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