BBC News – Surrey’s coroner is calling for change to supplement packaging rules after an 89-year-old’s fatal vitamin D overdose.
Following the death of David Mitchener, the coroner has written to the Department of Health and Social Care and the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
A report said the 89-year-old had been taking vitamin supplements for at least the nine months preceding his death.
Before his death, a test showed his vitamin D levels at 380, the maximum level recordable by the laboratory.
An inquest found Mr Mitchener died of vitamin D toxicity, hypercalcaemia, and cardiac and kidney failure.
The conclusion of the inquest was death by misadventure.
‘Very serious risks’
NHS guidance states that taking too many vitamin D supplements over a long period of time can cause hypercalcaemia, where too much calcium builds up in the body.
It said this can damage the kidneys and the heart, and recommends 10 micrograms per day for most people …
HEALTH.COM – According to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, the recommended amount of daily vitamin D for adults aged 19–70 is 15 micrograms or 600 International Units (IU).1 The tolerable upper limit for adults—the highest amount considered safe—is 4,000 IU.
You’ll find a wide variety of vitamin D dosages in pills, gummies, and other supplements. While many contain IU in the hundreds, some contain 5,000 IU or more.
