Large Doses Vitamin C May Cause A Buildup Of Oxalate in People With Kidney Disease

Whenever you have a cough, sore throat, or feel like your body is about to catch a cold, you will definitely hear someone suggest, “Quickly add vitamin C to strengthen your resistance!” Vitamin C is an important nutrient to maintain the body’s functioning. It has anti-oxidation, strong immunity, and disease prevention benefits. , the concept of supplementing vitamin C to strengthen the body has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of people. However, more vitamin C supplements are not always better. There was a Caucasian woman in a foreign country who caused acute renal failure because of "taking vitamin C every day"!

A woman suffered from acute renal failure, which was caused by taking vitamin C every day

A study published in the medical journal "Cureus" last year pointed out that a 55-year-old woman abroad took various vitamin and nutrient supplements every day. For a long time, she took at least 1000 mg of vitamin C every day. The woman herself had chronic kidney disease, which was not enough to be controlled by dialysis, but one day she suddenly developed symptoms such as lethargy, confusion, and persistent anuria, and was sent to the intensive care unit for emergency treatment.

After the doctor's examination, it was found that the woman's kidney contained a large amount of calcium oxalate crystals, which caused acute renal failure. After a blood test, it was presumed to be "vitamin C poisoning". The woman may have taken a large amount of vitamin C supplements in a short period of time, which led to a sharp decline in kidney function. After emergency kidney dialysis treatment, although he saved his life, he had to rely on kidney dialysis for a long time to survive and was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease.

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How can vitamin C, which is helpful for health, become the culprit of kidney failure? Physician Liu Yi explained on his personal website that when vitamin C enters the human body, oxalic acid will be produced during the metabolic process, and this oxalic acid will be sent to the kidneys and finally excreted with urine. The more vitamin C you eat, the more oxalic acid will be formed. When the concentration of oxalic acid in the renal tubules is too saturated, calcium oxalate crystals will easily form, causing damage to the renal tubular epithelium, and then leading to renal failure.

Lemon and kiwi are not have the highest vitamin C! Natural vitamin C from here

The health education information of Tzu Chi Hospital also reminds that the recommended daily intake of vitamins for adults is 100-2000 mg. In fact, if you take it from natural ingredients, you only need to eat 1 guava, 1.5 kiwi fruits, and 2 oranges a day. Relying on nutritional supplements, you can also get enough vitamin C. Nutritionist Gao Minmin also suggested on Facebook that everyone should get enough vitamin C from fresh fruits and vegetables, and sorted out the ingredients with the highest vitamin C content among vegetables and fruits:

Fruit: (unit: mg/100g)

Red heart guava: 214.4 mg

Pearl guava: 193.7 mg

Gold kiwifruit: 90.1 mg

Sanji: 74.8 mg

Green kiwi: 73 mg

Strawberries: 69.2 mg

Lychee: 52.3 mg

Durian: 52.2 mg

Orange: 41.2 mg

Lemon: 34 mg

Vegetables: (unit: mg/100g)

Red bell pepper: 137.7 mg

Yellow bell pepper: 127.5 mg

Broccoli: 75.3 mg

Coriander: 71.9 mg

Cauliflower: 62.2 mg

Bitter melon: 53 mg

Brussels sprouts: 52.7 mg

Kale: 51.9 mg

Mustard greens: 41 mg

Spinach (leaf): 28.8 mg

Nutritionist Stella also wrote an article pointing out that vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, which is easily damaged by temperature, light, acid, and alkali, etc. Therefore, vitamin C may be lost after food processing and cooking. Therefore, he believes that the ingredients that can be eaten directly without cooking are the best way to supplement vitamin C, such as fruits and sweet peppers. Even if you need to wash or cook, try to use running water instead of soaking, and use cooking methods such as steaming, microwaving, and frying to avoid too much loss of vitamin C.

Do not overdose on vitamin C supplements! Stones and vomiting are possible symptoms

Vitamin C Supplements Eat Smart! Take Small Steps to Boost Supplement Benefits

If it is difficult to take in enough vegetables and fruits, vitamin C must be taken through supplements. The health and education information of the Qixin Clinic proposes a few small steps to take in vitamin C, which will help improve the effectiveness of vitamin C supplementation and reduce the risk of obesity. Risk of incorrect use.

Adequate intake: The total intake of vitamin C should be controlled to 100-2000 mg. If side effects such as diarrhea, polyuria, and skin rashes occur when taking it, the dose should be reduced immediately for observation.

Do not eat on an empty stomach: Since the digestion and absorption of vitamin C require the assistance of other nutrients, it is recommended to eat something before taking supplements; and vitamin C may also be metabolized by other nutrients, such as calcium and iron.

Take in divided doses: It is recommended to eat half of the dose for breakfast, and then eat the other half for lunch and dinner to help maintain the concentration of vitamin C in the blood.

Drink enough water: Drink plenty of water while taking vitamin C to prevent excess vitamin C from being metabolized into oxalic acid and cause stones; water also helps excess vitamin C to be excreted in the urine.

In addition to acute renal failure, according to the health and education information of Tzu Chi Hospital, taking too many vitamin C supplements may also cause the following types of damage:

Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea: Vitamin C is an acidic substance. Excessive intake can easily turn the intestinal environment sour, causing nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal discomfort, and diarrhea.

Increase the risk of stones: The oxalic acid produced by the metabolism of vitamin C is easily combined with urinary calcium in the kidneys and urinary tract to produce calcium oxalate crystals, which increases the risk of urinary stones.

Withdrawal symptoms: If you consume more than 2000 mg of vitamin C per day for a long time, when your body is used to high amounts of vitamin C, if you stop eating or reduce the amount for one day, the body will have side effects of vitamin C deficiency, including bleeding gums, poor wound healing, etc. question.

Destroying the integrity of red blood cells: High doses of vitamin C will destroy the integrity of red blood cells. If you have special diseases, such as thalassemia and kidney disease, it may cause adverse effects; if you are a patient with favism, it is more likely to induce acute hemolytic anemia.

Increase pro-oxidant power: In addition to the anti-oxidant effect of vitamin C, high-dose vitamin C is also used clinically as a "pro-oxidant" to attack and kill cancer cells. However, it is difficult to meet the dose standard for self-ingestion, and there is no guarantee that vitamin C will act on cancer cells. On the contrary, it may promote the oxidation of body tissues and promote the proliferation of cancer cells.

Therefore, if you take vitamin C supplements every day and experience the five major symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding gums, and unhealed wounds, you may have overdosed and you need to consult a doctor.