Weeks after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. touted vitamin A as an effective treatment for measles amid the largest outbreak of disease in decades, hospitalized patients in West Texas are being treated for signs of vitamin A toxicity.
Just to be clear Vitamin A is the treatment of choice for measles. But it needs to be dosed by a healthcare provider and is generally not used for prevention (that’s what vaccines are for).
Also, vitamin A (like vitamin E, D and K) are fat soluble so you can overdose on them, causing liver failure.
Sometimes being partially right is worse than being wrong. Though in this case these impressionable folk would have likely followed RFK Jr regardless.
Every supplement and the dosage I take was recommended to me by my doctor after tests were ran. I’ve heard doctors state the average person doesn’t even really need supplements if they have access to a nutritious diet.
You see… there’s a lot going on in that clause when it comes to the American populace.
still better to ask a doctor what vitamins you need instead of just buying a bunch of random stuff you probably dont
That’s generally true. If you live in a northern climate vitamin D deficiency is very common and certain over the counter meds like omeprazole can impair vitamin absorption (b12 in the case of omeprazole) if taken long term. Supplementing other vitamins hasn’t been shown to have any meaningful benefit.
FWIW I was a vitamin d deficient Australian, our sun is extra cancerous so I make sure to cover up or avoid it. I’ve been taking 5000iu daily which has brought my levels up into the lower end of acceptable.
I went to see a dermatologist in the Caribbean and she was saying that the vast majority of the people in the Caribbean have a vitamin D deficiency as well.
When it’s hot people just avoid the sun as much as possible.