#hypervitaminosis

[ekau]

they should make gummy vitamins without the vitamins so you can eat more then one

[tser]

do you know what the signs of vitamin D overdose are in leos? I’ve never really considered that I could be dusting too much but I don’t know what to look for

Vitamin D overdose is quite rare in leopard geckos – perhaps non-existent. However, it’s not uncommon in chameleons, iguanas, and some other reptiles. I am most familiar with it in chams.

These animals typically had both UVB basking light and supplementation, or no UVB and high dose/frequent supplementation. It has not been seen, as far as I know, in chameleons who are only given adequate UVB basking opportunities with natural sunlight; their bodies will produce just enough from UVB exposure, and no more, and they seem to have the ability to self-regulate how much they need. 

One additional problem seems to be that the signs of hypervitaminosis D are actually fairly similar to MBD when it first starts out, and in response to the symptoms the owners then stepped up the supplementation, compounding the problem.

As a result of how common vitamin D toxicity seems to be in chams, many people have cut back on supplementation for chameleons, providing UVB, and only use D3 supplements once per week, twice per month, or once per month. 

Vitamin D toxicity is possible because the vitamin is fat soluble, so excess builds up in the body, rather than being eliminated through waste like water-soluble vitamins. 

As long as you are not providing higher output UVB light (5.0+) and also dose D supplements, I wouldn’t worry! MBD and inadequate supplementation are much more common, and a real risk. 

I would personally avoid Rep-Cal brand Calcium with D3. It has ridiculously high D3 levels (400,000 IU/kg!!), and that much is absolutely not necessary. For comparison, I use ZooMed ReptiCalcium which has 22,907 IU/kg.

I also would never put calcium WITH D3 in a dish in the enclosure; some geckos really going to town eating calcium, and that could theoretically lead to an overdose (along with other problems!).

I personally use a supplement with D3 once per week.

Observable signs of Vitamin D overdose:

* Sluggishness, weakness (general and in limbs)* Loss of appetite* Constipation or other digestive problems.* Edema (fluid retention)* Dehydration, excessive drinking* Excessive uratesThe symptoms reflect kidney damage.

Clinically, blood levels show excess calcium (hypercalcaemia), high serum calcitriol, and calcium starts building up in the organs.

In advanced cases, calcification of organs and soft tissue can be felt when palpated. 

In chameleons it often shows as crusty mineral buildup around the nostrils and edema in the neck (gular edema); however, I do not know if these things would happen in a leopard gecko. 

In general, it’s something to be aware of, but don’t worry about it too much in leopard geckos. 

[surinderbhalla]

5 Dangers of Vitamin Poisoning

In the pursuit of better health, many individuals turn to vitamins and supplements to fill nutritional gaps and boost well-being. However, the adage “too much of a good thing” holds true even in the realm of vitamins. Vitamin poisoning, also known as hypervitaminosis, poses a serious threat to health when consumed in excessive amounts. This article 5 Dangers of Vitamin Poisoning, aims to delve…

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[milfitinstitute]

What is Hypervitaminosis?

Introduction Hypervitaminosis is a condition of abnormally high storage levels of vitamins, which can lead to various symptoms as over excitement, irritability, or even toxicity. Specific medical names of the different conditions are derived from the given vitamin involved: an excess of vitamin A, for example, is called hypervitaminosis A. Hypervitaminoses are primarily caused by fat-soluble…

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[gmx15aa-blog]

Hypervitaminosis A and sweet potatoes

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Can consumption of sweet potatoes cause hypervitaminosis A? The answer is “no”, even if you eat ten or more sweet potatoes per day. Sweet potatoes do have high vitamin A content, more than almost any other food. However, most of it is in the form of β-carotene, which is used by the body to produce the active form of vitamin A, retinal (yes, with an “a”), only if the body’s vitamin A status is low. The graph below shows the vitamin A content of different foods, together with the recommended daily allowance. It was prepared with information from Nutritiondata.com (citeN=citeN+1;document.write(Number(citeN))), with the horizontal axis in international units (citeN=citeN+1;document.write(Number(citeN))). The graph also takes into consideration some key research findings related to the bioavailability of vitamin A. For example, the sweet potato is assumed to be taken with some fat to facilitate the absorption of vitamin A.

Primarily, vitamin A is available either as retinol, from animal foods; or β-carotene, from plant foods. There are other carotenes available from plant foods, but their vitamin A contribution is relatively small compared with β-carotene. High β-carotene content is “advertised” by plant foods to animals via a characteristic orange color. The main sources of β-carotene throughout human evolution have probably been fruits, which plants “want” animals to eat so that the plants’ seeds are dispersed. Retinol also needs to be converted by the body to retinal, and when consumed in excess it tends to be stored in body fat reserves – hence lean individuals tend to store less retinol than fat ones. It seems that intake of retinol from sources like beef liver is naturally controlled via satiety. In the case of plant sources, like sweet potatoes, a key control mechanism is limited internal production of retinal. My impression is that most people, if given the chance, would prefer to eat a lot of sweet potato than a lot of beef liver. Like all of the fat-soluble vitamins, the bioavailability of vitamin A from foods is dependent on whether they are consumed together with fat. For example, a lot more vitamin A will be absorbed from a sweet potato if it is eaten with butter than if it is eaten by itself (again, if the body’s vitamin A status is low). I should note that butter is itself a good source of vitamin A, in addition to providing the fat needed for absorption. Beef liver is low in fat, which means that the vitamin A content in the graph above may be an overestimation. Hypervitaminosis is a fat-soluble vitamin phenomenon, and it is usually associated with consumption of supplements (e.g., cod liver oil). Generally speaking, one does not develop noticeable hypervitaminosis symptoms from consumption of natural food sources. This is probably due to a combination of satiety and internal regulation of the production of the active forms of the vitamins.

[wably-blog]

How vitamin toxicity is hurting your health

The latest: How vitamin toxicity is hurting your health by Ellen Williams on Wably.