# Way too much vitamins? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 15, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-too-much-vitamins/213344 "2003-11-15T00:22:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![madbuttface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@madbuttface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madbuttface)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-too-much-vitamins/213344/1 "2003-11-15T00:22:33Z")
I understand that most vitamins get any excess flushed out by the body, however i just bought a new drink which seems to have a lot more than just a few times the recommended daily intake. It’s called G-Force Orange and Mandarin, one 800ml bottle contains 7 times the recommended daily intake. It’s quite tasty and rejuvinating, I could easily drink 3 in one day. Could this be harmful in such large quantities? ---
**Author:** ![madbuttface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@madbuttface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madbuttface)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-too-much-vitamins/213344/2 "2003-11-15T00:40:41Z")
7 times the recommended Vitamin C ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-too-much-vitamins/213344/3 "2003-11-15T01:05:14Z")
Some vitamins are toxic and can even be fatal in overdose, but the dose required is usually beyond the ingestion scope of normal humans (except, as someone will shortly mention, those with access to polar bear livers). I seem to recall being told that overdose of vitamin C is fairly trivial (skin problems/acne?), but googling didn’t seem to help, so maybe whoever told me that just made it up. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-too-much-vitamins/213344/4 "2003-11-15T01:05:54Z")
Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is one of the water soluble vitamins, so it’s readily excreted in the urine. At doses upwards of a gram a day, it can cause an upset stomach in some people. The Nobel prize winning biochemist Linus Pauling took multiple gram doses of vitamin C each day for years, with no ill effects. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![boofy\_bloke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@boofy\_bloke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boofy_bloke)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-too-much-vitamins/213344/5 "2003-11-15T01:16:31Z")
FYI: It’s “Way too many vitamins?” not “Way too much vitamins?” “Many” should be used in less precise circumstances, e.g. “There is way too much to do” but “There are too many jobs for me to do”. many adj. (quantifier used with count nouns; often preceded by ‘as’ or ‘too’ or ‘so’ or ‘that’) amounting to a large but indefinite number. - The Grammar Nazi =8^) ---
**Author:** ![madbuttface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@madbuttface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madbuttface)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-too-much-vitamins/213344/6 "2003-11-15T01:34:33Z")
Thanks for helping…i will drink till my hearts content. And thanks for pointing out my grammatical error (i think). ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-too-much-vitamins/213344/7 "2003-11-15T01:50:43Z")
Just realize that if you’re doing it for any kind of benefit from the Vitamin C, since it’s water soluble, eventually you’re just pissing your money away. ---
**Author:** ![madbuttface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@madbuttface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madbuttface)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-too-much-vitamins/213344/8 "2003-11-15T02:19:49Z")
: o ) No…it tastes good ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-too-much-vitamins/213344/9 "2003-11-15T03:19:21Z")
Vitamin C is a lot like citric, malic or fumaric acid. Lots of people like the sour taste. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-too-much-vitamins/213344/10 "2003-11-15T04:11:09Z")
Avoid eating the livers and blubber of arctic aquatic mammals. However, even water ssoluble vitamins should not be taken without solid food. BTW: > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by boofy\_bloke \* > \*\*FYI: It’s “Way too many vitamins?” not “Way too much vitamins?” “Many” should be used in less precise circumstances, e.g. “There is way too much to do” but “There are too many jobs for me to do”. > > - The Grammar Nazi =8^) \*\* ‘Many’ and ‘much’ have nothing to do with precision; it’s many things, or much of one thing. ‘Too many’ vitamin means too many different types of vitamins. The OP is asking about too much of a single vitamin.