Surrey's coroner has urged the government to review supplement packaging rules following the death of an 89-year-old man from a vitamin D overdose. David Mitchener died in May 2023 at East Surrey Hospital, with an inquest concluding in December that the cause was vitamin D toxicity, hypercalcaemia, and cardiac and kidney failure.
Assistant coroner Jonathan Stevens has written to the Department of Health and Social Care and the Food Standards Agency, highlighting that vitamin supplements can pose “potentially very serious risks and side effects when taken in excess.” He noted that current labelling requirements do not mandate warnings about these risks, and expressed concern over the absence of appropriate dosage guidance.
Mr Mitchener had been taking vitamin supplements for at least nine months before his death. A test prior to his death showed his vitamin D levels at 380, the maximum recordable by the laboratory. NHS guidance recommends 10 micrograms of vitamin D per day for most people, warning that excessive intake over a long period can lead to hypercalcaemia, damaging the kidneys and heart.
The FSA said policy responsibility for food supplements in England is not directly within its remit, while a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson expressed condolences and said they would consider the coroner's findings. The coroner's report was also sent to the company that sold the supplements.
