Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is found in many fruits and vegetables. Vitamin C plays an important role in collagen formation, and it also functions as an antioxidant, boosting the immune system. Although you need to consume vitamin C every day, too much can be toxic. The tolerable upper limit is the maximum amount of a vitamin you can take each day without experiencing any ill effects. According to The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library, the tolerable upper limit for vitamin C is 2,000 mg per day, or 2 g. Anything above this amount could be considered as an overdose. Common side effects of vitamin C overdose involve the digestive tract. If you consume more than 2,000 mg of vitamin C, you may develop severe gastrointestinal irritation and diarrhea. In addition to significant discomfort, extended episodes of diarrhea or vomiting can lead to dehydration, causing extreme thirst, fatigue, low urine output and reduced blood pressure. Diarrhea and vomiting can also cause additional mineral imbalances in the body.
Vitamin C is broken down by the body into a substance called oxalate. Some oxalate is secreted in urine, however high urinary oxalate levels may cause formation of deposits, known as kidney stones. High vitamin C intake is associated with an increased risk of oxalate kidney stones -- accounting for approximately 80 percent of all kidney stones. Hemochromatosis is a condition caused by excess iron build-up in the body. This condition is commonly inherited, and most often affects the liver, heart and pancreas. Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron. Although vitamin C overdose does not cause hemochromatosis, it can worsen the condition. How Much Vitamin C is used for Constipation? Excessive Vitamin C in Early Pregnancy Can You Overdose on Vitamin C Tablets? Can Vitamin Supplements Make You Feel Tired? Can Too Much Vitamin C Cause Headaches? Can Kids Overdose on Vitamin C? Does Vitamin C Make You Urinate? Foods That Help Healing After Knee Surgery
Ways to Absorb Vitamin C Does Emergen-C Help With Acne?Can we help you find something? We're sorry, but we couldn't find the page you tried.One of the links below may help. Or you can visit WebMD's Home Page. To check possible conditions. First Aid & Emergencies Find out what to do in case of an emergency Create a plan, log your food & fitness, and track your way toScand J Dent Res. 1986 Dec;94(6):491-9.AbstractEight effervescent preparations and one chewable vitamin C preparation were tested with regard to dental erosion by immersing bovine tooth specimens for 100 h in 100 ml of the test solutions. For comparison, two effervescent calcium preparations were studied. All the vitamin C products caused distinct erosion and disclosure of dentin in the specimens which could not be found in calcium preparations. Calcium release from the bovine teeth varied from 1.08 to 12.99 micrograms Ca/mm2/h. Softening of the dental tissue assessed as the Vickers hardness units, was most prominent among the specimens where most calcium release was observed.
A crossover clinical trial using a test pannel assigned to 1-week periods of excellent vs no mechanical cleaning, and with a consumption of 6.6 times more vitamin C tablets than the recommended daily use, revealed no particular impact of the preparation on a variety of oral health parameters. Except for a slight stimulation of the subjects' salivary flow rate 30 min after consuming the vitamin C, all other differences observed could be explained by the accumulation of plaque during the period without mechanical cleaning. Thus, in patients with normal salivary flow rate a short-term consumption of vitamin C preparations, even in excess, may be regarded as harmless from the dental point of view. However, all the studied preparations are potentially erosive if left in direct contact with the teeth.PMID: 3468598 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Publication typesClinical TrialComparative StudyControlled Clinical TrialMeSH termsAdultAnimalsAscorbic Acid/administration & dosageAscorbic Acid/adverse effectsAscorbic Acid/pharmacology*CattleChewing GumDental Enamel/drug effects*Dental Enamel/pathologyDental Enamel/ultrastructureFemaleHumansMaleOral HygieneSaliva/drug effects*Saliva/microbiologySaliva/physiologyTabletsTime FactorsTooth Erosion/chemically induced*Tooth Erosion/pathologySubstancesChewing GumTabletsAscorbic AcidMedicalVitamin C - MedlinePlus Health InformationMiscellaneousSodium ascorbate - Hazardous Substances Data BankL-Ascorbic Acid - Hazardous Substances Data Bank
A study on eight types of effervescent vitamins has found that they could all have corrosive effects on teeth We know that sugar-filled juices and canned drinks such as cola and lemonade can cause tooth decay - yet few of us would think fizzy vitamin preparations can have similar effects. However, a study at the University of Helsinki on eight types of effervescent vitamins found they could all have corrosive effects on teeth. Leaching out the minerals contained in teeth, they left them weaker, more porous and prone to decay. In the research, teeth were soaked in the vitamin drinks for 100 hours. All of them - including those drinks that contained calcium - caused demineralisation. The effects were worst in the Vitamin C products, where teeth were corroded so severely that dentine, the sensitive layer beneath the enamel was exposed. 'When you drink fizzy vitamins, you wouldn't expose your teeth for anything near this length of time,' says Dr Mervyn Druian, spokesperson for the British Dental Association.
'However, if you drink one of these dissolved tablets each day, it is likely that they would weaken your teeth.' Citric acid, the primary ingredient of many fizzy vitamin drinks, has been found by researchers at the University of Baltimore Dental School to cause dental erosion. While this erosion is less than in drinks that also contain sugar, it is still significant. 'Dental erosion is caused by acidic solutions which come into contact with the teeth,' says Dr Adam Thorne, dental surgeon at the Harley Street Dental Studio. 'Because the critical pH of dental enamel is 5.5, any solution with a lower pH value may cause erosion, particularly over a long period or if it is taken regularly. 'The danger of these soluble vitamins is that they are marketed for daily use and consumers tend to take them with breakfast and brush their teeth shortly after. 'For an hour after you have an acidic drink such as a fizzy vitamin, cola or apple juice, your tooth enamel will remain softened,' says Dr Thorne.
'During this period, teeth become more vulnerable to corrosion, sensitivity and decay. Vitally, if you brush your teeth during this time, you are likely to brush away a layer of tooth enamel.' So how can you protect your teeth from the effect of fizzy vitamins? The strength of teeth changes continually over the course of a day, with minerals being leached out and replaced according to the foods you eat and drink. Pearly whites: If you drink an acidic drink such as a cola, it can soften your tooth enamel for an hour 'Whenever we have an acidic drink, minerals are leached out of the teeth to help neutralise the acid. Saliva is slightly alkaline, so it also has a neutralising effect,' says Dr Druian. 'After a few hours, the neutralising action of saliva takes over, and calcium and other minerals are gradually put back in the teeth.' Dairy products such as cheese and milk have an alkaline pH that help neutralise acids. They also contain minerals. Eating these after an acid drink will help reduce acid levels and remineralise teeth at a faster rate.