Vitamin water: Better than plain water?
Is vitamin water a healthier choice than plain water?

Vitamin water is fortified with various vitamins and other additives, and some include sweeteners that add calories. If you're eating a balanced diet or taking a multivitamin, you won't likely benefit from drinking vitamin water. If you're trying to lose weight, the calories in vitamin water will only work against you. As always, it's important to check the label for ingredients. Remember, fruits, vegetables and other whole foods are the best sources of vitamins and minerals. And it's tough to beat plain water as a healthy, no-calorie drink. If you don't care for plain water, try sparkling water or a squirt of lemon or cranberry juice in your water.

Vitamin D toxicity: What if you get too much?What is vitamin D toxicity, and should I worry about it since I take supplements?
Vitamin D toxicity, also called hypervitaminosis D, is a potentially serious but treatable medical condition that occurs when you get too much vitamin D.

Vitamin D toxicity usually results from taking an excessive amount of vitamin D supplements — not from your diet or too much sun exposure. That's because your body produces only a limited amount of vitamin D from sun exposure, and even fortified foods don't contain large amounts of vitamin D. Although vitamin D toxicity is rare even among people who take supplements, you may be at greater risk if you have health problems, such as liver or kidney conditions, or if you take thiazide-type diuretics.

The main consequence of vitamin D toxicity is a buildup of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), causing symptoms such as:

Nausea
Vomiting
Poor appetite
Constipation
Weakness
Confusion
Heart rhythm abnormalities
Kidney stones
Treatment of vitamin D toxicity may include:

Stopping vitamin D supplements
Restricting calcium intake
Medications
Hydration with fluids
Hospitalization in severe cases
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient. The Institute of Medicine recommends that children and adults up to age 50 get 200 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily. The recommendation for adults over age 50 is 400 to 600 IU daily. However, many health experts consider these recommendations to be too low. The American Academy of Pediatrics, for instance, now recommends that children and adolescents get 400 IU of vitamin D daily. Many experts now "unofficially" recommend that adults get as much as 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily. In addition, it's likely that the vitamin D guidelines will be revised upward.

Supplements can be a reasonable way to meet recommended levels — as long as you pay attention to how much you take. And be sure to tell your doctor about any supplements you take.