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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by mcp on October 11, 2004, at 13:23:07
Can you take too much? Does your body get rid of the excess B Vitamins. Reason I ask is that the multi-vitamin I take is WAY above the RDA in B Vitamins. THanks
Posted by tealady on October 11, 2004, at 19:23:06
In reply to B Vitamins question, posted by mcp on October 11, 2004, at 13:23:07
> Can you take too much? Does your body get rid of the excess B Vitamins. Reason I ask is that the multi-vitamin I take is WAY above the RDA in B Vitamins. THanks
Nearly all B supps are way above the RDA's I notice.
In my opinion only based on my own personal exprience..if you take a MultiB with about 10 to 25 (mcg or mg depending on which one)then my body copes ....my body gets rid of most of it beginning about 30mins (or earlier?) after taking and its mostly all out of my body (via urine) within say 12 hrs(at least the B2 is ..from the yellow colour).I assume (as I do notice a difference when I haven't taken it for a while) that my body does manage to use a little bit of it! The bit you use won't come straight back out in your urine...although what comes out of your urine has been absorbed and carried around in your blood, thru your kidneys ..then bladder then out.
I think you can take too much. but more so if the balance is not correct...which is difficult, as taking too much of one may caue some speeding up and depletion of others.
I find the better ones for me will have varying amounts of B's between 10 and 25 levels.
If I take 50mg B6 I used to get a migraine..without fail..so 50mg of B6 is too much for me..but 25mg is fine, and helped with the migraines...no didn't figure that one out either!
I take the P5P form of B6 now (but I have to buy it from the states)..didn't see it in England either? I like between 10mg and 25 mg daily of P5P.B12..it's OK to take a high level of as its different, and it lasts for months in your body once taken up...but I'm cautious about the high doses of the cynacobalamin form.
The methylcobalamin form of B12 should be taken sublingually for best absorption.
Similarly the P5P B6 should be enteric coated...which is why these B's are usually taken separately form the multi.
Sure you'll get different responses from others..just my personal experience.
Posted by Simus on October 12, 2004, at 8:42:29
In reply to B Vitamins question, posted by mcp on October 11, 2004, at 13:23:07
> Can you take too much? Does your body get rid of the excess B Vitamins. Reason I ask is that the multi-vitamin I take is WAY above the RDA in B Vitamins. THanks
Tealady is right about needing to maintain the proper balance between the B vitamins. Too much of one can cause a depletion of another...
I do know that you can get too much of vitamin B6 (causes nerve damage at very high doses, I believe). I don't know about the others.
As much as supplements have improved my health, I have still found it is wise to be well informed and careful about taking any supplement.
Best of luck.
Simus
Posted by JLx on October 12, 2004, at 13:05:30
In reply to Re: B Vitamins question » mcp, posted by Simus on October 12, 2004, at 8:42:29
I ran across this recently and it really gave me pause:
"the nutrition industry has failed to heed the warning that damage may be caused by high doses of riboflavin supplements.
As always, the dose makes the poison, and this means that if you take nutritional supplements you should make sure you consume an adequate amount of riboflavin daily, rather than an excess of riboflavin.
The human requirement for riboflavin is less than 2 milligrams a day, but many common vitamin supplements contain 10s or 100s of milligrams. There is little (if any) scientific justification for taking supplements of riboflavin greatly in excess of the known dietary requirement. However, there is a lot of scientific evidence and speculation that the combination of abnormally high blood, eye and skin levels of riboflavin, combined with a lifetime of sun exposure, may have serious negative consequences, and actually cause the damage we are trying to prevent. The combination of sunlight and abnormally high tissue levels of riboflavin from excess supplementation is a toxic combination that should be avoided."
http://www.townsendletter.com/June2003/riboflavin0603.htm
Posted by Simus on October 12, 2004, at 15:14:51
In reply to Re: Riboflavin warning » Simus, posted by JLx on October 12, 2004, at 13:05:30
Wow! Thanks for the info. I used to try to take B-100 complex, but it made me feel worse so I just stopped. (I still got a good balance of B vitamins in my multi-vitamin.) Makes me wonder now...
Simus
Posted by Larry Hoover on October 12, 2004, at 16:40:57
In reply to Re: Riboflavin warning » Simus, posted by JLx on October 12, 2004, at 13:05:30
> I ran across this recently and it really gave me pause:
>
> "the nutrition industry has failed to heed the warning that damage may be caused by high doses of riboflavin supplements.
>
> As always, the dose makes the poison, and this means that if you take nutritional supplements you should make sure you consume an adequate amount of riboflavin daily, rather than an excess of riboflavin.
>
> The human requirement for riboflavin is less than 2 milligrams a day, but many common vitamin supplements contain 10s or 100s of milligrams. There is little (if any) scientific justification for taking supplements of riboflavin greatly in excess of the known dietary requirement. However, there is a lot of scientific evidence and speculation that the combination of abnormally high blood, eye and skin levels of riboflavin, combined with a lifetime of sun exposure, may have serious negative consequences, and actually cause the damage we are trying to prevent. The combination of sunlight and abnormally high tissue levels of riboflavin from excess supplementation is a toxic combination that should be avoided."
>
> http://www.townsendletter.com/June2003/riboflavin0603.htmI suppose that it is wise to listen to cautionary advice, but.....
1. "The human requirement... (of) less than 2 mg a day" is not an accurate statement. That is the RDA, which is that amount that prevents *overt* deficiency symptoms in 97.5% of the normal, healthy population.
We do not know that more than that sub-2 mg dose would not optimize riboflavin-dependent biochemical processes. We only know that most people do not display overt deficiency symptoms at that intake level. I would also want to argue about the intake requirement of abnormal or unhealthy people, but that is somewhat tougher to quantify.
2. Riboflavin is not well absorbed, and probably has a finite uptake capacity. Your body can only take so much up. Riboflavin is so poorly absorbed that it is sometimes used to "mark" food to determine gut transit time before excretion as feces. Plasma riboflavin is also rapidly excreted in urine (it's the yellow stain from B-complex).
3. Patients with melanoma are demonstrably riboflavin deficient. Riboflavin deficiency is also associated with the promotion of squamous-cell skin cancers, including tissues which are never exposed to sunlight (e.g. the esophagus).
4. Riboflavin deficiency causes an induced B6-deficiency disorder.
5. There is no Tolerable Daily Intake level established for this nutrient, according to the National Institutes of Health. That means there is no defined toxic threshold. Migraine prophylaxis studies employing 400 mg/day for a minimum of three months found no adverse effects of note.
http://books.nap.edu/books/0309065542/html/115.html#pagetop
I suppose it is wise to take counsel from precautionary statements. I think optimal might lie somewhere between the extremes, but I'm not sure just where.
Lar
Posted by Simus on October 12, 2004, at 18:22:59
In reply to Re: Riboflavin warning » JLx, posted by Larry Hoover on October 12, 2004, at 16:40:57
Thanks, Lar, for your always appreciated input. I have missed it lately! I've been wondering how you have been doing lately since you seem "quieter" than usual.
Simus
Posted by Larry Hoover on October 30, 2004, at 13:33:24
In reply to Re: Riboflavin warning » Larry Hoover, posted by Simus on October 12, 2004, at 18:22:59
> Thanks, Lar, for your always appreciated input. I have missed it lately! I've been wondering how you have been doing lately since you seem "quieter" than usual.
>
> SimusI've been storing up latent post energy. The capacitor has reached discharge voltage.
Lar
Posted by Simus on November 3, 2004, at 2:11:14
In reply to Re: Riboflavin warning » Simus, posted by Larry Hoover on October 30, 2004, at 13:33:24
> > Thanks, Lar, for your always appreciated input. I have missed it lately! I've been wondering how you have been doing lately since you seem "quieter" than usual.
> >
> > Simus
>
> I've been storing up latent post energy. The capacitor has reached discharge voltage.
>
> Lar
LOL Yeah, no kidding! Good to have you back. =)Simus
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