Despite the warnings that vitamin A does not prevent or cure measles, the recent outbreak in Texas and other states has led to vitamin A poisoning. This probably resulted from HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr touting vitamin A to prevent or treat measles.

We should have expected that the measles outbreak would lead to some parents doing anything they could to avoid the MMR vaccine by giving their unvaccinated children large doses of vitamin A.

This post will talk about why some people think that vitamin A has some value for treating measles during the outbreak, and what is happening at poison centers.

Vitamin A and measles

Vitamin A is essential for our overall health. It is in a class of nutritional compounds called antioxidants. It is needed by the body to help with vision, reproduction, cell growth, and the immune system. It protects your cells against free radicals and supports cell growth and function. It has many roles in the body, from supporting growth and reproduction to healthy vision, skin, and immune function.

Foods rich in vitamin A or related molecules include orange, yellow, and red-colored fruits and vegetables, and green leafy vegetables. It is also found in dairy, egg, fish, and meat. Of course, it can be taken as a supplement.

People most at risk for vitamin A deficiency are those with a limited variety of food in their diet, with cystic fibrosis, or with malabsorption problems (problems absorbing food). In the USA, where malnutrition is not common, vitamin A deficiency is extremely rare.

Vitamin A can also be used therapeutically, and physicians may prescribe vitamin A to treat a deficiency. Vitamin A deficiency has long been associated with more severe cases of infectious diseases, including measles. Vitamin A boosts immune cells and strengthens the respiratory tract lining, which is the body’s first defense against infections.

Vitamin A supplementation is necessary for people with chronically low levels of the vitamin, which could lead to a much higher susceptibility to measles complications, including death. People who consume normal levels of vitamin A are not at increased risk of measles complications, although they can still happen. Vitamin A has been used as a supportive therapy for children with severe measles, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where malnutrition is common.

Because of this, the CDC has recently stated that vitamin A can also be prescribed as part of treatment for children with severe measles, especially ones who have been hospitalized, but under a physician’s supervision.

But let’s be clear what the CDC is saying — vitamin A supplementation is indicated for children hospitalized for measles, but it does not claim that it prevents measles. The only prevention for measles is the MMR vaccine (against measles, mumps, and rubella).

Furthermore, there is no evidence that excess supplementation of vitamin A, if you have normal levels, will provide any benefit whatsoever. One of the fallacies of supplements is that if a little is good, a lot is better. Essentially, vitamin supplementation is an on/off switch — if you have normal vitamin A levels from your diet, that’s good enough; taking more isn’t going to make you super immune to measles or treat it faster.

If you live in the USA or another developed country, your diet gives you all the vitamin A you need. If, for some reason, you have a low level of the vitamin, as determined by blood tests, then it may be important to supplement with vitamin A.

RFK Jr also mentioned cod liver oil for children who contracted measles because it’s high in vitamin A. Once again, Kennedy fails to use science to support his claims because no published evidence shows that cod liver oil does anything for measles.

But let’s make this clear — it is not a treatment for measles, unless you are malnourished or have some other conditions that reduce vitamin A blood levels, and it does not prevent measles or its serious complications.

Vitamin A poisoning during the measles outbreak

As I mentioned above, some people think that if a small amount of a supplement, like vitamin A, is good, then a lot should be better. The problem with this thinking is that some supplements, like vitamin A, are toxic in high levels.

There are two kinds of vitamin A toxicity:

1. Acute toxicity — this occurs when someone takes a single large dose
2. Chronic toxicity — this occurs when someone takes a lower dose for a longer time period.

Vitamin A toxicity presents with nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, coordination issues, bone pain, and dryness of lips, eyes, and skin. The most dangerous risk is increased pressure in the brain, which can contribute to headaches and can lead to death.

Chronic vitamin A toxicity can include injuries to the liver, bone problems, and central nervous system problems. These complications may or may not be reversible.

Vitamin A dosages are measured in micrograms (mcg) of retinol activity equivalents, or mcg REA. This measurement was developed to account for the different properties of retinol and provitamin A carotenoids.

Depending on your age, sex, and whether or not you’re pregnant or lactating, your recommended daily amount is between 500 mcg REA and 1,800 mcg of vitamin A per day REA.

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for men is 900 mcg REA, or 3,000 international units (IU). For women, the RDA is 700 mcg RAE, or 2,330 IU. For all adults, the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), the maximum amount of vitamin A one can take without experiencing negative health effects, is 3,000 mcg RAE, or 10,000 IU.

For children, a daily intake of vitamin A of over 1500 IU/kg body weight can lead to toxicity.

Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, reported that some unvaccinated children with measles had vitamin A toxicity after taking cod liver oil, which is high in vitamin A, or other vitamin A supplements. Taking cod liver oil plus supplements is a disaster. The hospital admitted 10 pediatric patients who were hospitalized due to measles complications but also had elevated levels of vitamin that resulted in abnormal liver function.

From 1 January through 31 March 2025, there were 86 pediatric (<20 years of age) vitamin A exposers reported to the US Poison Centers, which represents a 38.7% increase in cases over the same period in 2024.

Unless there is significant damage to organs, generally, vitamin A toxicity is treated easily by just reducing or eliminating vitamin A consumption. The problem is that chronic use of vitamin A can lead to death.

Vitamin A is not the way to respond to the measles outbreak, unless one has a severe vitamin A deficiency, which is very rare in the USA and other developed countries.

RFK Jr did a disservice to children and parents by suggesting that vitamin A was an alternative to vaccines. We’ve come to expect that he’ll say just about anything other than vaccine.

Citations

• Penniston KL, Tanumihardjo SA. The acute and chronic toxic effects of vitamin A. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Feb;83(2):191-201. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/83.2.191. PMID: 16469975.
• Toti E, Chen CO, Palmery M, Villaño Valencia D, Peluso I. Non-Provitamin A and Provitamin A Carotenoids as Immunomodulators: Recommended Dietary Allowance, Therapeutic Index, or Personalized Nutrition? Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2018 May 9;2018:4637861. doi: 10.1155/2018/4637861. PMID: 29861829; PMCID: PMC5971251.

Help the Skeptical Raptor

There are four ways you can help contribute to keeping this website running at full speed:

1. Sharing this article on Social Media.
2. GoFundMe.
3. Contributing via Patreon.
4. Buying on Amazon.