An NHS doctor has issued an urgent warning about a common supplement that could cause serious harm if taken in excess. The expert explained that overuse of this vitamin could damage the heart, kidneys and bones.

Our bodies rely on certain vitamins and minerals to help them stay healthy. While we should be able to get everything we need from a balanced diet, sometimes daily supplements are needed as a top-up.

Vitamin D is a popular vitamin to take. As this mostly comes from exposure to sunlight, the UK Government recommends we all take vitamin D tablets between October and March.

It helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy.

However, as is the case with any medication or supplement, taking too much vitamin D can be harmful.

Doctor Suraj Kukadia, also known as Dr Sooj online, took to social media platform TikTok to explain more.

He said: “A really important warning about the overuse of vitamin D supplements. So vitamin D, because it causes the reabsorption of calcium, if you take too much vitamin D, you can get hypercalcemia.

“Now, this means really high calcium levels in the blood, which is bad.” This can result in some damaging side effects.

He continued: “So this is bad because it can cause a paradoxical weakening of bones. It can also cause damage to your heart and kidneys.” His advice is backed by the NHS website, which urges people not to take more than the recommended dose.

It says: “Taking too many vitamin D supplements over a long period of time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body (hypercalcaemia). This can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and the heart.”

How much should you take?

The Department of Health and Social Care advises that Brits take a supplement of 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day (or 400 IU) during the autumn and winter. Adults and children over four should take the same amount throughout the year if they:

• Are not often outdoors – for example, if they're frail or housebound
• Are in an institution like a care home
• Usually wear clothes that cover up most of their skin when outdoors.

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Babies from birth to one year of age should have a daily supplement containing 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year if they are:

• Breastfed
• Formula-fed and are having less than 500ml (about a pint) of infant formula a day, as infant formula is already fortified with vitamin D.

Children aged one to four years old should be given a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year, the NHS says. The health body adds: “If your doctor has recommended you take a different amount of vitamin D, you should follow their advice.”