A man from London, England, has died after excessive consumption of vitamin D.
David Mitchener, 89, took excessive levels of the supplement for about nine months before he died.
Medics are now using the tragedy as an opportunity to warn the public of the risks associated with taking vitamin D - which the public ought to be more aware of.
“There were no warning on or in the packaging detailing the specific risks or side effects of taking Vitamin D supplements,” coroner Jonathan Stevens wrote in his official report, “In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken.”
Mitchener is believed to have shown the highest possible recorded levels of the suplement in his body. Autopsy tests showed his vitamin D levels to be 380, “the maximum level recordable by the laboratory.” Harvard University recommends adults maintain a level of 30 to “guarantee sufficiency.”
As for dosage, 600 international units (IUs) is the recommended amount for the average adult.
Taking 60,000 or more IU’s per day over several months can cause an overdosage, per the Mayo Clinic.
It was noted at the hospital that the deceased had hypercalcemia, meaning high levels of calcium in his body.
According to the Mayo Clinic, this is usually brought on by excessive levels of vitamin D.
This wasn’t the only cause of death mentioned by the coroner, who also listed congestive heart failure, chronic kidney failure, hypercalcemia, and Ischaemic Heart Disease — when blood stops flowing efficiently to the organ.
However, due to the excessive levels of vitamin D found, the coroner stated that “Vitamin supplements can have potentially very serious risks and side effects when taken in excess.”
“Current food labelling requirements do not require these risks and side effects to be written of the packaging,” he added of the “absence of appropriate warnings and guidance about dosage.”
An FSA spokesperson has since stated that policy responsibility for food supplements in England was not necessarily in the FSA's remit.
A DHSC spokesperson said via BBC News: "Our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of David Mitchener.
"We will consider the coroner's findings in full and respond in due course."
Over in the United States, the FDA has been putting pressure on the pharmaceutical sector to stop making potentially deadly supplements appear and taste like candy in order to prevent such tragedies.
