Re: Excess Vit. A Concern -- A case where a little knowlegde is a dangerous thing

It would probably be a good idea to get your liver enzymes checked and get a bone scan. These are the two most common areas affected by vitamin A toxicity. You also REALLY need to get your hematocrit, hemoglobin, and ferritin levels checked.

I am surprised that it has taken this long to show any problems. Even the 25,000IU daily of vitamin A is high by itself. Are you sure you are taking actual vitamin A rather than beta carotene?

The recommended safe dose is no more than 10,000IU daily, and even this level can cause bone damage.

It is hard to say what is causing the headaches. If it is related to the vitamin A then I would say it is likely from liver damage leading to toxicity, or bone deterioration leading to high serum calcium, which causes the blood vessels to constrict causing headaches.

There are also non-vitamin A related possibilities. First thing to keep in mind that liver is very high in iron. Iron overload can cause headaches and is dangerous for a number of reasons. Too much iron can cause major oxidative stress in the body leading to joint, organ and tissue damage. It also increases the risk of heart disease, causes mitochondrial damage and cell death, fibrosis of the liver, immune suppression, muscle cramping, damages endocrine glands, promotes the growth of many pathnogenic bacteria, and can contribute to cancers.

Based on the time frame I would say that iron overload, not vitamin A toxicity is more likely. Damage from iron overload is generally seen within 2 to 10 years.

Or family doctor when I was a child brought up a good point about liver that I never forgot. He said he would never eat liver because it is the filter for the body's waste. In other words the liver is still full of those wastes when it is eaten.

For those trying to watch their cholesterol, liver again is a bad idea. Liver is 6 times higher in cholesterol than beef.