Timely warning from our Dr. Christopher Holstege: Taking vitamin A won't prevent or cure measles, and taking too much can cause serious health problems.
At least one unvaccinated child has died during the current measles outbreaks in parts of the United States. That has some parents looking for ways to treat the viral disease, and vitamin A has become a popular suggestion on social media.
In fact, vitamin A is sometimes used, under the supervision of a doctor, to boost the body's ability to fight infections, particularly for patients who are malnourished and may have a vitamin A deficiency. This, Dr. Holstege says, has given rise to the misperception that vitamin A can prevent or cure measles.
That simply isn't true. Our bodies store vitamin A in our fat cells, and we can store too much, with the vitamin building up to toxic levels. This causes vitamin A poisoning, which can result in liver damage. Children in Texas have already been diagnosed with this, and Dr. Holstege hopes to keep it from continuing to happen..
"When it comes to taking any medicine or supplement, including vitamins, more is not necessarily better,” said Dr. Holstege, the medical director of our Blue Ridge Poison Center. “Unless a person has a diagnosed deficiency, or some other health condition, and a health professional has advised the extra supplement and is monitoring their care, taking doses of vitamins greater than the recommended daily amount can be harmful.”
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the best protection against measles remains the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.