Surgeon warns against Vitamin D supplements: ‘Too much can backfire and damage your arteries’

Vitamin D supports essential functions like bone and immune health. But too much can trigger serious health issues.

The topic of supplements keeps surfacing often in wellness conversations. For the uninformed, a supplement provides nutrients that one may not get enough of from food. It fills in the vital nutritional gaps. They usually come in all shapes and sizes, from tablets, powders, to gummies.

Excess consumption of Vitamin D can be hazardous.(Picture credit: Shutterstock)

But here's where it gets tricky. Social media influencers and wellness pages champion them as a must-have, almost like the urgent fix to all your problems. But should you jump on the bandwagon? Or try to see through the hype?

Addressing the one such popular supplement in question, Dr Vass, a ‘longevity doctor and MD trained at Cornell, shared in an October 23 post about the downsides of Vitamin D. According to him, one shouldn't go overboard with it as “too much vitamin D can backfire.”

Vitamin D has good nutritional value, as Dr Vass described, “ Vitamin D is critical for bone strength, immune health and hormone balance.” It has all-around benefits, so no wonder it has been making headlines in wellness conversations. Vitamin D is often added, whether with fortified foods or supplement capsules.

Dr Vass acknowledged the wide deficiency, but posed an important reality check for everyone. "Vitamin D and its deficiency is everywhere, but should you actually supplement?"

1. What are the risks?

Popping a pill that comes with nutritional value is often deemed harmless. After all, how much harm can a little extra Vitamin D do? That's the mindset many follow, mindlessly adding supplements to their routine. Turns out, there are serious reasons to be cautious; some are even borderline life-threatening.

Dr Vass called out the habit of indiscriminate consumption of vitamin D and explained the ill effects, “Most people take it blindly without ever checking their (Vitamin D) levels. And yes, insufficiency is common, but too much vitamin D can backfire, causing calcium buildup that can damage your arteries and your kidneys.” With calcium buildup in arteries, heart attack risks also rise. Renal health also takes a hit. Kidney stones may be the result of calcium buildup.

2. Prerequisite for adding Vitamin D supplement

Before you think of taking a Vitamin D supplement, it's important to know if you even need it or not. According to Dr Vass, a simple blood test can help you with that.

“The way to know if you need it is through a simple blood test," Dr Vass explained. Supplement isn't the universal miracle fix that they are marketed to be. Dr Vass highlighted that the outcomes actually vary from person to person. “For some Vitamin D supplement can be a game changer, for others it's unnecessary or maybe even harmful.”

3. Correct way of consuming Vitamin D supplement

As the surgeon mentioned, Vitamin D comes with the risk of calcium buildup up which can potentially affect the arteries. How can this issue be circumvented? Dr Vass advised against taking vitamin D alone, explaining that the problem can be mitigated by pairing other supplements with it. He named magnesium and vitamin K2.

“Don't forget Vitamin D doesn't work alone, you need magnesium to activate it, and vitamin K2 to move calcium into your bones instead of your arteries,” he said.

Lastly, Dr Vass emphasised, “Don't supplement in the dark, always test first, optimise and get good advice.” This effectively captures four essential steps in adding Vitamin D to your routine.

First, don't fall for any promotional tactic, marketing supplement; and instead you should know whether the body actually needs it or not. Second get tested; a relevant medical test will show if the supplement is required. Third, optimise, adjust the dose and timing to personalise it for your body so that it is safe and effective. Lastly, get good advice, which means to make a decision based on guidance from an actual health expert and not what's trending on your social media feed.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.