A Basic Vitamin/Mineral SupplementationMost people think that vitamin and mineral supplements are pretty much alike. This is partly due to the health food manufacturers grouping them in one or more pills. The truth however, is very different, and needs to be understood clearly. Vitamins are non-toxic (with a few exceptions) and overdosing merely means possibly “wasting” money, as the excess is excreted easily without damage. So, since vitamins are relatively cheap, by “overdosing” you are assuring your body enough for good health, even if some is “wasted”. The exceptions to the above are the oil-based vitamins. These are A, D, K, and E. These are stored in the liver, and may cause toxic problems over time. That’s the bad news – the good news is that it’s very difficult to “overdose” on any of these today. The. FDA laws strictly limit dosages of these. An adult can safely take up to 25,000 (International Units (IU) per day of vitamin A, and up to 2000 IU of vitamin D. Vitamin E levels of over 1600 IU per day have shown no toxic effects (probably because E is used up in the body as an antioxidant). Few people even take K, as it is mostly manufactured within the body by “friendly” bacteria in the gut.

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