The Dangers of Vitamin Supplements

Vitamin supplements have taken over the world. Over 52% of US citizens take some form of supplements. Although vitamin supplements are often believe to only have good effects they also can become toxic. So when should and should we not take vitamin supplements?

First evidence that vitamins exist were found in the 18th century when James Lind treated Scurvy patients with fruits. In the 20th century vitamins were discovered. In humans, there are 13 vitamins. Vitamins have different roles in our cells. Vitamin A is important for our sight, Vitamin D regulates the metabolism of the bone and vitamin C and E are antioxidants. In the 1950s vitamin supplements were produced at a large scale.
Vitamin supplements can be very important for our bodies. However, we often do not need vitamin supplements as we take up enough vitamins through our diet. Excessive amounts of vitamin supplements can lead to vitamin toxicity. Vitamin toxicity means that we have taken up so much vitamins that they lead to unwanted effects. Vitamin supplements can lead to damages in the kidneys, high levels of calcium in the blood and systemic damages to organs (depending on the vitamin supplement and how long it was taken at what concentration).
Nonetheless, vitamin supplements are often important. Vitamin supplements can help to treat vitamin defficiencies. Vitamin B9 is also important during pregncancy and vitamin supplements can help there. Elderly people are advised to take vitamin D as it help to keep bones strong and critically ill patients could be helped with vitamin C supplements (in combination with other treatments.)
There are many vitamin supplements misconceptions. Vitamin supplements unfortunately do not help to treat heart disease or cancer. Vitamin supplements also do not help to slow down aging or prevent the flu.

References:
The presented patient stories were adapted from published cases above.

Images:
Kidney biopsy by Nephron, CC BY-SA 3.0
Kidney stones by Kempf EK, CC BY-SA 3.0
Siege of Paris by Bundesarchiv, CC BY-SA 3.0 GER
Gloriole by Evrik, CC BY-SA 3.0
HE Staining by Calicut Medical College, CC BY-SA 4.0

Music:
Title: Black heat by Ross Budgen (CC BY 4.0)
Title: Filaments by Scott Buckley d (CC BY 3.0)
Light Sting by Kevin MacLeod (CC By 4.0)
Title: Buddha by Kontekst
Genre and Mood: Hip Hop & Rap + Bright

About Clemens Steinek:
CLEMENS STEINEK is a PhD student/youtuber (Sciencerely) who is currently conducting stem cell research in Germany.

[pattyabma]

Supplements are not dangerous at all, if you are knowledgeable. Just like anything else, you have to know what you’re doing. I’ve been taking lots of supplements for almost 40 years. All my blood work is perfect. I’m 60 years old, and everyone thinks I’m in my 40s. The fact it that we cannot get all our nutrients from our denatured and adulterated foods.

[Me-mjni]

Always take D3 not D2. Our bodies have to convert D2 into D3 before it can even use it. Also be sure to take the co factors of D. Taking D causes calcium to absorb 20x more from food and vitamins. Without the co factors you end up in trouble with soft tissue calcifications in your joints (causing arthritis and osteo issues) and arteries (causing strokes and heart attacks). Vitamin K2 ensures the D/calcium goes into the bones where it belongs, preventing the soft tissue calcifications. Taking D lowers mag so magnesium is one of Ds co factors also. There are 9 forms. Stay away from citrate and oxide as they are the cheap forms that do nothing but cause loose stools and gi issues. Take a good form like malate, taurate or glycinate. I do malate in the am as it gives energy and helps with pain, then at night I do glycinate as it promotes relaxation and calm. Also, when taking D another co factor is Vitamin A. It helps prevent you from going toxic on D.

[Leonhart_]

What I didn't like about this video is the total absence of any concrete numbers. How much more vitamins these people took 1000%? 2000%? Perhaps 10000%? Because it certainly wasn't something as simple as 25% more.

[pistacchini]

Just discovered your channel, I am 73 and I've been taking vitamins supplements for more than 30 years and with high doses of D3 ten thousand IU every single day and 3 grams of vitamin C daily so far nothing happened to me and I'm feeling much better nothing I repeat nothing wrong happened to me ! thanks for your information

[gezapapp]

Thank you for the anecdotal evidence of the damage vitamins can cause, especially the vitamin C.
Let me add my anecdotal evidence about taking vitamins. In the eighties I was catching cold 4 to 5 times a year, so I was concerned about my job. Finally I decided to take at least 2 grams of vitamin C every day, and soon my friends started to say that I was never sick. This was an exaggeration of course. I've been taking same amount for at least thirty years, so it wasn't THAT deadly - for me at least.
The motivation to try this much vitamin came from my friend who was diagnosed with MS, which is basically a death sentence. He was a born researcher, found surprising information at the university's library, and started to experiment with up to 50 grams (50, 000 mg!) of vitamin C daily among other things. The only undesired side-effect was that he frequently had to visit the the bathroom. He is alive today with a very much reduced vitamin C intake!
This video about the possible negative effects of the vitamins would feel more honest if you would compare it with the deadliness of some of the over the counter medications, such as aspirin, otherwise it feels like you have a hidden agenda.

[MonsieurDean]

Seems like common sense that the right way we should be intaking vitamins is in the quantity they would appear in a natural serving of healthy food. If you would need to eat a dozen oranges in one sitting to get a dosage equal to a single vitamin C pill, that's probably more than your body can handle.

[AlanAC]

I always take fish oil omega 3. All I can say is that when I stop taking it, I can't remember my dreams.

[brandonsballing]

3 vitamin rules: 1. Get a genetic test to see what you are low on absorption and supplement what you lack 2. Read studies on dosages and check dose, 3. Only buy high quality lab tested supplements.

[angjbrownwhisper]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the studies of synthetic vs natural/organic vitamins and that the level of dangerous dosage is different based on whether the vitamin is synthetic or from a natural source. I just found this out when trying to pick prenatal vitamins and trying to figure out what dosage or the vitamins work best for my diet. And some vitamins in multivitamins are useless unless taken with food because they are fat soluble.

[lukase]

I was surprised that you didn't mention the crazy dosages of many vitamin supplements. I have seen pills that contain 13 times the recommended daily amount of one vitamin, five times for the next, 87% for another and some are just missing (still marketed as a daily supplement).
I still take vitamins due to my 12-15 hours/week of high physical activity and low sun exposure, but I try to stay at or below the recommended daily amount.

[dianemartinis]

Vitamin c has helped my psoriasis greatly. I eat vitamin c rich foods and take a supplement of c. I've tried different things to improve my psoriasis and this works the best.

[idolhanz]

Vitamin C toxic? Too much gives you the shits. That guy didnt drink enough water.

[canyoncreekster]

I feel that there is a big difference between synthetic vitamins and the naturally occurring ones, I stay away from "Fortified" foods and use foods with natural vitamins like Pine pollen, molasses, nutritional yeast, Fish oil, Sourkraut (vit c)liver, and all these vitamin, s need balancing with adequate mineral intake, use natural one, s again .eg horsetail tea, shilajit, seaweed.

[enricopuno]

I think one of the best thing in natto is the bacteria that can produce vit K2. One of the most important for health especially when combined with vit D3 and magnezium.

[baconisgoodme]

Im overdosing regulary with vitamin C when I am sick, never had any problems, kidneys work perfectly well. All Im doing, using nature that had this system for milions and milions of years on our body. Only part where I personally would get suspucious is who distributes my vitamin C supplement. Thanks for the video, I would agree eventually with this topic on vitamin D

[jordixboy]

Im taking 8000IU of vitamin D daily. Take regular blood analytics, vitamin D is always perfect. Recent studies found out that the recommended vitamin D dosage is wrong by a factor of 10.

[h.u.l.k.]

Like any other substance, abuse isn't the way to go. This doesn't mean vitamins aren't good.
Along with a healthy diet and physical exercise. 😎

[anatolydyatlov]

Ok, but there's a difference between taking 5000IU of vitamin D daily, like many people do, and taking the recommended amount of 800IU. Besides, getting B vitamins and heme iron from your diet is hard when you're vegan.

[edwardmylnychuk]

as someone who had had digestive issues his whole life, my viatmins are what help me greatly, i am a 76 year old male and people always tell me i dont look my age and the one
thing i have found is that if you use crap cheap vitamins you are wasting your time but they can act as a placebo for you and make you thing they are working. diet also has to be
reasonable also and i find cutting out sugary stuff like donuts, cakes etc makes a big difference also. ; if vitamins did not work then there would be no effort to squash them by
the pharmaceutical industry that only deceives people who want a quick fix rather than change a life style,

[elloohno]

also vitamins and minerals are synergistic or antagonistic, and influence each other. Many times the balance between nutrients are just as important, so taking a supplement (that is not in it's natural whole food form as a package with other vitamins) can throw off the balance. Like D3 and K2 go together and zinc and copper should be balanced, omega 3 and omega 6 etc. Also ascorbic acid is just one part of the vit c compound.