Yes, it *is* possible to get "too much of a good thing"...

And zinc is one of the main ones to watch out for. It's the only supplement I've ever heard of people overdosing on very often. In fact, when I was first getting into taking vitamins, I did that myself. When I first read how good zinc was for the immune system, I started taking it in large amounts, not realizing it was a trace mineral that we actually need in only relatively small amounts.

My body soon started reacting, as you said, with some "nasty surprises". I became nauseous and had diarrhea, and developed a nasty ache in the prostate area too. I later realized that was probably because, since zinc is so necessary for good prostate health, it was probably accumulating in there, causing inflammation and pain. As soon as I stopped taking the zinc, all the symptoms went away. Since then, I've learned that you only need about 50-100 mg per day, from *all* dietary sources. Make sure you read all the labels on all your supplements because the amount of zinc can vary greatly in multi-vitamins, and it's also usually included in any gender specific formulas for men.

Other than that, the main thing to watch is your intake of the fat soluble vitamins. Some vitamins dissolve in water, others in fat. The water soluble ones (vitamin C and the B vitamins) pass through the body very quickly, and any excess is flushed out in the urine. (That's why taking B vitamins usually gives your urine a bright yellow color.) Some doctors will tell you that you're pissing away your money like that, but I view it like a form of health insurance -- I'd rather have enough for a little overflow than not enough...

Other vitamins, like A, E, and K, are fat soluble, so taking too much of those can cause any excess to start building up in your body's fatty tissues, causing overdosage symptoms. It usually takes a lot to do that though. With A, you can always take it as beta carotene and let your body convert it into vitamin A for you. The carotenes aren't fat soluble and your body will only convert as much as you need. With vitamin E, you're okay up to around 1000 IU per day; the usual dose is between 400-800.

It's good to hear that you're switching over to fish instead of land-based meats. I heartily agree with you that the antibiotics they feed animals can drastically affect our health. I read somewhere one time that just an 8-ounce glass of milk contains over 70 different types of antibiotic and hormone residues. And that *can't* possibly be good for you...