Alert issued over supplement taken by millions after 16 people hospitalised due to ‘defective’ tablets

Health chiefs have issued a warning after 16 people who took ‘defective’ vitamin D supplements were left hospitalised.

The incident took place in the Balearic Islands, which are located off the eastern coast of mainland Spain.

The individuals were rushed to hospital where they were diagnosed with hypervitaminosis D, a condition caused by excessive intake of the vitamin.

It has been shown to cause a build up of calcium which can lead to serious health issues including kidney damage and loss of bone density.

Local officials have revealed the first identified patients experienced abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.

But other symptoms can include constipation, dehydration, fatigue, confusion, muscle weakness, increased thirst and passing large amounts of urine.

They launched an investigation after a medical examination revealed some patients had acute kidney failure, which can be life threatening.

The authorities confirmed the previously fit-and-healthy individuals had consumed ‘defective’ multivitamins purchased online without medical advice.

Now they have warned that this is a risk of not getting them through an official doctor, who can do a blood test to check you actually have a deficiency.

The Spanish Ministry of Health said: ‘Supplements should only be prescribed when clinically justified. Unsupervised use, particularly when exceeding recommended doses may lead to adverse effects and is not recommended without specific medical indication.’ 

While the ‘defective’ batch was initially confined to the Balearic Islands, they may have been distributed elsewhere, added the Spanish Agency for Food and Nutrition.

They also warned high doses can be dangerous after multiple cases of overdose in adults and children were reported through the country’s health record system.

In the UK, during the spring and summer months the NHS says the majority of people should be able to get all the vitamin D they need through sunlight. 

However, in the autumn and winter months, people may need to take vitamins to ensure they get the recommended 10 micrograms (mcg) a day.

This is how much adults and children above the age of one need, but babies up to the age of one year only need 8.5 to 10 mcg per day. 

The NHS advice is that you should never take more than 100 mcg of any one vitamin a day, and children between one and ten should have no more than 50 mcg.

Babies under 12 months old should never have more than 25 mcg of the vitamin per day.

It follows a warning earlier this month from a nutrition expert that taking too many supplements can do more harm than good.

A previous survey of over 2,000 Britons by Which? found three quarters take supplements, and about one in five respondents take four or more each day.

But, writing for the product testing website, Dr Rachel Woods, who has a PhD in nutrition, said overloading on supplements can cause nausea and diarrhoea, or in more extreme cases, weakened bones and birth defects.

And, when taken in excess, they have been linked to liver, heart, and kidney damage—which can prove fatal.

‘Many people take supplements for years without knowing whether they need them or how much is too much,’ she wrote.

Many people do not realise, she explained, that fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K aren’t flushed out of the body, which can lead to a build-up of harmful levels. 

‘Too much vitamin D, for example, can lead to a build-up of calcium, which may damage the kidneys and heart, as well as weakening bones,’ she said.