One of my friends is taking mega-doses of vitamin A, C, B-6, and E because she thinks they help her stay healthy. I had her sit down with me, so that I could explain to her more about the vitamins she is taking. I told her about the good things each vitamin does how she can get these vitamins other ways and what happens when taking mega doses. I started with vitamin A and told her that the dosage requirement each day is 700 mcg. Vitamin A can multitask; it has numerous functions in the body. All the cells in the body need vitamin A to develop and function properly. Normal bone growth and development, and even the eyes use this vitamin. It is very important to have this in her body, but she needs to be careful how much she puts in.
             There are easy ways of getting vitamin A in her body without having to take a supplement. I mentioned that animal foods such as liver, butter, fish, fish oils and eggs are good sources. There are even the foods that are fortified with the vitamin during processing. And for the rich sources of beta-carotene she could eat carrots, spinach, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and other variety's that are dark in color. Finally, I told her how I was concerned that she could be taking too much. If taking more than 3000 mcg a day, then her liver could be damaged because this is the main site for the vitamin storage. I told her to watch for any signs if she continues to keep taking large amounts. Those signs would be; headache, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, hair loss, bone pain, and bone fractures.
             Vitamin C is only needed in small amounts. The RDA is at 75 mg a day for us women. Vitamin C performs a variety of important cellular functions, primarily by donating electrons to other compounds. It also participates in reactions that form and maintain collagen, plays a role in the body's immune function, and the vitamin is necessary for the synthesis of bile and certain neurotransmitters. Also it is invol...