Can you have too much vitamin C?

I am on my 5th or 6th cold this winter! I get plenty of vitamin c and eat fruit everyday. I'm trying really hard to be healthy but my immune system doesn't seem to be up to scratch! If I take Selenium A, C and E vitamin tablets and carry on eating satsumas/clementines and other fruit and drinking orange juice, will it mean that I get too much of the vitamins? and if so, can that be to my detriment?

Wow! I'm surprised you haven't hit the immodium's yet!

YES - you can have too much Vitamin C, and it sounds like your overloading on it.

Either have a Vic C Tablet or Multi Vitamin that has 100% Vit C then eat your normal 5 fruit/veg a day (Easy on the oranges) and for an extra boost, take Echinacea tincture and Zinc seperatly. These will do you better than overloading on the Vitamin C alone.

The body cannot store vitamin C so if it gets too much, it has to get rid of it, and the cramps that come with it arn't nice.

Also, assess your surroundings, if you are with many different people all day, try and take a few more breaks and don't breath so deeply around everyone. Also, ensure if you use telephones or microphones that other people have access too, make sure that they are wiped with antibactial wipes every once and a while.

Hope this lot helps!

no

Pulplesta, sorry to be rude, but any extra vit. c. gets elliminated when you "pee" so don't worry. Have a blood test downthe doctors because you do seem to be taking care of yourself. Are you getting enough exercise without that no diet or vitamins can help. Oh, and eat well, no rubbish and you will soon pick up . Good luck. Try Echanacea

you can't overdose on vitamin c, if that's what you mean, you're body accepts it's maximum and then rejects (or doesn't break-down / process ) the rest. Have you considered adding a b-complex to your vitamin regemin and maybe a golden seal every other day during the winter, only?

Golden Seal is one of those vitamins you *can* over do it on, I limit myself to one every other day in the winter time and one twice a week during the summer.

Beyond that, exercise is a wonderful immune builder as well. :shrug:

You can get too much of anything, but Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, so the chances of you getting to a harmful or lethal level are slim to none as long as you don't start taking more. Want to boost your immune system? My best friend's mother, who is a nurse and is exposed to sick people on a daily basis, SWEARS by echinacea and goldenseal pills. I've had the flu three times since the weather officially hit winter levels and she hasn't been sick at all. May be worth a try.

You cannot have too much Vit. C. You'll just pee out the extra because it is water soluble. Smoking inhibits absorption.

Yes, please read the link:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/12/...

Frequent handwashing may be even more important for a good immune system.

sweety, I don't think too much vitamin C makes you sick.

You're unlikely to overdose on vitamin C accidently. Basically the only thing that will happen if you take too much orally is you will get diarrhea. It can't possibly kill you to take vitamin C orally. The only way it could be lethal is when given through an IV and even then the dose would need to be extremely high.

yes your overdoing the vitamins I've seen it happen before so just cut them down and get advice on it from YOUR DOCTOR no-one else

i don,t think you can.
read in the paper a few years ago that somebody died from drinking to much dilute orange,but that was all he ever had to drink,i drink orange juice every day and it has never done any harm,if you get a cold regular you should go to see you doctor and see if you can have the flu jab.
i have started having the flu jab for the past 4 years and never had a cold since,.hope this helps

yes you can,i find whenever i start to take it in the form of oranges,it can bring a cold on!prob the body cleaning out?

No you can't have too much,i take selinium ACE and (touch wood)I've not been as ill over the last year.
It's hard for the body to store vit C,especially smokers as smoking kills vit c that's why smokers get more illnesses and have bad skin stc.
You are doing the right thing in eating lots of fruit,but you just need a little extra help to keep the immune system strong,so I would suggest taking Selinium.

You most certainly can have too much of a good thing. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is water-soluble and non-toxic. Excess is excreted in urine but excesses can also cause diarrhea.

Vitamin A (retinol) is a fat-soluble vitamin and the liver can store large amounts of it. The downside is when people take in large supplements of retinol in addition to dietary sources, it's possible to take in a potentially toxic quantity. It can cause liver injury, joint pain, thickening of the long bones, hair loss, jaundice, portal hypertension and ascites.

Vitamin E (tocopherol) is another fat-soluble vitamin which incidentally works in partnership with selenium as antioxidants. Selenium spares tocopherol by reducing its requirement and vice versa. Tocopherol is non-toxic. There are 3 kinds: alpha-, beta- and gamma-tocopherol but alpha-tocopherol is the most significant in human nutrition.

Selenium, a mineral, is present in all body tissue except fat and balances vitamin E. Among other functions it serves to regulate the activity of vitamin C. It does not appear to be toxic.

While some nutrients are non-toxic in any amount, this is not the case for all. You would benefit greatly from a book on basic nutrition to help guide you.

Vitamin C is relatively safe at high levels, but taking more than 2000mgs daily may cause symptoms such as headaches, flushed faced, vomiting and diarrhoea.

For a free report on all the main vitamins visit http://www.female-fiftyplus-get-fit.com/...
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