Just because you can grab it off a drugstore shelf doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s harmless.<\/p>\n
As the US confronted a major resurgence of measles<\/a> last year, poison control centers reported a sharp spike in calls involving children exposed to a widely available supplement.<\/p>\n Around the same time, new research shows<\/a> internet searches surged for whether that same vitamin could be used as an alternative treatment for the potentially deadly disease.<\/p>\n That spike in attention came after several prominent figures \u2014 including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> and podcaster Joe Rogan \u2014 discussed the nutrient as a possible tool in fighting the virus.<\/p>\n Measles causes flu-like symptoms and a distinctive, red, blotchy rash that spreads from the face downward. Jelena \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n In the new study, researchers at Boston Children\u2019s Hospital examined Google search trends for \u201cvitamin A and measles\u201d and \u201ccod liver and measles\u201d from January through June 2025. <\/p>\n They then compared those trends with government media communications and public comments from influential figures who promoted the supplements as unproven treatments during measles outbreaks in West Texas<\/a> and other parts of the country.<\/p>\n They found search interest in vitamin A stayed relatively steady until Feb. 25, 2025, when it jumped 44% the next day and ultimately peaked at 100% by March 22.<\/p>\n That surge closely followed a series of public statements beginning Feb. 19 that promoted vitamin A as a potential measles treatment.<\/p>\n Interest in cod liver oil and measles followed a similar pattern, peaking on March 5 at 52.6% relative search volume.<\/p>\n Overall, after those public statements, searches for vitamin A ran 7.5 percentage points higher than projected, while cod liver oil searches were 1.3 percentage points above expectations.<\/p>\n The researchers emphasized they could not determine whether the spike in searches translated into actual use of vitamin A or cod liver oil.<\/p>\n However, data from America\u2019s Poison Centers<\/a> recorded 86 pediatric vitamin A exposures nationwide between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2025 \u2014 a 38.7% increase over the same period in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cOur findings underscore media\u2019s influence on health-seeking behavior during public health emergencies like the measles outbreak,\u201d the study authors wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cVitamin A may be administered under medical supervision to support measles recovery, but it does not prevent measles and can be toxic if dosed incorrectly,\u201d they cautioned. <\/p>\n During a 2025 measles outbreak, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. highlighted a common supplement as a tool for fighting the disease. Getty Images<\/p>\n Vitamin A<\/a> is essential for vision, immune function, reproduction and cell health. <\/p>\n In a opinion piece published on Fox News last March<\/a> amid a growing outbreak in West Texas, Kennedy cited studies he said showed vitamin A could \u201cdramatically reduce measles mortality.\u201d<\/p>\n The longtime vaccine skeptic also noted that while there is no approved antiviral for measles, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recently released a statement backing the administration of vitamin A under physician supervision as supportive care.<\/p>\n He also reiterated the importance<\/a>\u00a0of maintaining\u00a0good nutrition\u00a0and consuming various vitamins \u2014 like A, B12, C, D and E \u2014 as the \u201cbest defense against\u201d chronic and infectious illness.<\/p>\n Speaking to Fox News later that week, Kennedy referenced the agency\u2019s work in West Texas and discussed cod liver oil, which contains high levels of vitamin A.<\/p>\n But infectious disease experts say those claims often take research out of context.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy people are talking about vitamin A is that studies in developing countries showed that kids \u2014 predominantly with malnutrition \u2014 some had vitamin A deficiency,\u201d Dr. Roy Gulick, chief of infectious disease at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, said at a media briefing last March<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cSo it was seen that if you gave vitamin A at the same time that you vaccinate people, they had better immune responses,\u201d he explained. <\/p>\n There is evidence that vitamin A deficiency can worsen measles outcomes. A 2005 study<\/a> found that giving deficient children under age 2 a high-dose treatment after diagnosis reduced mortality.<\/p>\n But in the US, vitamin A deficiency is rare, according to the National Institutes of Health<\/a>, with most people getting enough through their diet.<\/p>\n And too much can be dangerous.<\/p>\n While vitamin A may help measles patients with a deficiency, too much of the nutrient can be toxic. Lost_in_the_Midwest \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Unlike water-soluble vitamins, excess vitamin A is stored in the body and can build up to toxic levels over time.<\/p>\n In the short term, a single large dose can trigger nausea, vomiting, vertigo and blurry vision,\u00a0according to the Mayo Clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n Long-term overuse can lead to bone thinning, liver damage, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, skin irritation and joint pain. Excess intake during pregnancy has also been linked to birth defects.<\/p>\n Experts say the measles vaccine remains the most effective protection against the virus. <\/p>\n \u201cThe two-dose MMR vaccine is our safest and most effective tool to prevent this highly contagious illness,\u201d Dr. Neil Maniar, professor of public health practice at Northeastern University in Boston, told Fox News Digital last year. <\/p>\n In his op-ed, Kennedy did not explicitly recommend vaccination, calling it a \u201cpersonal\u201d decision, though he also acknowledged it is \u201ccrucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease\u201d and supports \u201ccommunity immunity<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this year, he struck a more forceful tone<\/a> in an April testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, saying the Department of Health and Human Services promotes the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have advised every child to get the M.M.R. That\u2019s what we do,\u201d he told the influential health panel. <\/p>\n