The health security agency reports three new cases of infants having consumed vitamin D excessively. ANSES warns against overdoses of food supplements that are dangerous for the health of the youngest.
Beware of overdose. The National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) reports three new cases of vitamin D overconsumption in infants. She calls on parents to be vigilant in the face of excessive vitamin D supplementation via food supplements.
The health security agency thus renews an alert issued in early 2021, after three similar cases had been detected. She warns once again about the dangers of self-medication.
A “threat” to the “vital prognosis” of infants
“An excess of vitamin D can have serious consequences on their health and threaten the vital prognosis of toddlers”, recalls the agency in a communiqué.
“To limit the risks, we recall our recommendations for the supplementation of infants with vitamin D”, adds ANSES.
In children, vitamin D is considered essential for bone growth. To ensure this growth, this vitamin is therefore prescribed in France from the first days of life to prevent rickets, a disease of growth and ossification.
Excess calcium detected in the blood
But “giving your child too much vitamin D can be as dangerous as not giving enough,” warns the agency.
She says she has recorded “three new reports of severe hypercalcemia – excess calcium in the blood – occurring in infants in 2022”.
These cases result from the misuse of “food supplements containing vitamin D”, says ANSES.
Consumption only under prescription
To limit the risks, the agency recommends in particular to “prefer taking medication to that of food supplements”. The drugs indeed guarantee “clear information in terms of doses, precautions for use, risk of adverse effects and overdose”.
She also recommends to “well control the doses given to your child and not to multiply the products containing vitamin D to avoid overdoses which could disturb his kidney function”, is it added.
In all cases, the intake of vitamin D must only be done on prescription from a health professional, insists ANSES again.
In the event of an overdose, you can file a report yourself with the ANSES nutrivilange. It allows you to report online any adverse effects related to the consumption of certain food products.
