Google asks for “A helps vitamin a help with measles” has increased greatly by more than 5000% over the past month as the highly contagious virus continues to spread throughout the country.
Increasing the Internet interest comes after the Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Vitamin A defended it as a possible treatment for measles. At least 245 US cases were reported in the first three months of 2025, along with two deaths.
While vitamin A plays a crucial role in overall health, experts warn that excessive intake can lead to serious health risks. Here’s what you need to know what vitamin A can do – and can’t -.
What is vitamin A?
Vitamin A is a fat -soluble nutrient, which means it is distributed in fat and stored in your body’s tissues and liver.
It plays a key role in maintaining healthy eyes, skin, reproductive health and a strong immune system. Ai gjithashtu vepron si një antioksidant, duke ndihmuar në mbrojtjen e qelizave nga dëmtimet e shkaktuara nga radikalët e lirë në trup.
Since your body cannot produce vitamin A itself, you have to get it from your diet. In the US, vitamin A deficiency is considered rare, usually affecting people with conditions that hinder the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
There are many foods rich in vitamin A, including dark leafy greens, yellow and orange fruits, and vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes and wineries, as well as animal products such as liver, eggs and milk.
One of the most popular benefits of vitamin A is his vital role in supporting eyesight and eye health.
“It helps maintain vision, especially in low light,” Toni Yang, a professor and associate dean for health policy and population science at George Washington University, told Yahoo Life. “A deficiency can cause night blindness and increase the risk of losing vision.”
Research shows that people who consume more foods rich in vitamin A are less likely to develop eye issues such as cataracts and age -related macular degeneration. It is also shown to protect against eye infections and even aid in tears.
Vitamin A enhances your immune system by supporting the production and functioning of white blood cells, which help capture and purify harmful bacteria and other pathogens from your blood flow.
Moreover, vitamin A plays an essential role in maintaining a healthy reproductive system, affecting both male and female fertility as well as fetal development.
For your skin, vitamin A can work wonders. Retinoid -containing recipe creams and pills, a synthetic form of vitamin A, are often used to treat severe acne and psoriasis. Studies also suggest that current forms of vitamin A can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Some studies even show a possible link between the higher intake of vitamin A -rich foods and a lower risk of certain cancers, including those affecting breast, colon and esophagus.
What vitamin A can’t do
Studies have shown that vitamin A supplements are likely to be ineffective in preventing head and neck cancer, reducing the risk of HIV transmission, or alleviating the symptoms of lower airway infections.
The same thing is probably applies to measles. Famous for the red sealing redness that causes, the highly contagious virus can manifest as a cough, jam, watery eyes, sore throat and high fever.
While most people with measles heal, serious complications can occur, and measles cause over 100,000 deaths all over the world every year – mainly in non -vaccinated children.
Earlier this month, Kennedy highlighted the instructions updated by the centers for the control and prevention of diseases by recommending vitamin A “under the supervision of a doctor for those with mild, moderate and severe infection”.
Writing in a Fox News OP-ED, Kennedy claimed that “studies have found that vitamin A can dramatically reduce measles mortality.” However, doctors have warned that this instruction should not be misused as a vaccine substitute.
“Vitamin A cannot replace vaccination,” said Dr. Roy Gulick, shefi i sëmundjes infektive në Newyork-Presbyterian dhe Weill Cornell Medicine, në një konferencë për media javën e kaluar. “Vitamin A neither treats measles nor prevents measles.”
Gulick added: “Why are people talking about vitamin A is that studies in developing countries showed that children – mostly with malnutrition – some lack of vitamin A. and so it was seen that if you give vitamin A at the same time you vaccinated people, they had better immune responses. “
Vitamin A deficiency can cause more severe measles infections. In a 2005 study, researchers found that the giving these children with vitamin A deficiency under the age of two years of double megadosis of the nutrient (200,000 two days two days) as they would be diagnosed with measles reduced their mortality rate.
Are there risks associated with vitamin A?
While vitamin A offers many benefits, many can be dangerous. Për dallim nga vitaminat e tretshme në ujë, vitamina A e tepërt ruhet në trup, dhe me kalimin e kohës, ajo ndërtim mund të bëhet toksik.
In the short term, getting a single large dose – over 200,000 micrograms – can cause nausea, vomiting, vertigo and vague vision, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Long -term use of more than 3,000 mcg per day can lead to serious side effects such as bone thinning, liver damage, headache, gastrointestinal issues, skin irritation and joint pain. Vitamina A e tepërt gjatë shtatëzanisë ka qenë gjithashtu e lidhur me defektet e lindjes.
Vitamin A can also interfere with other medicines, including reducing their effectiveness. At least 23 medicines are known to interact with vitamin A, so if you are in any of them, it is a good idea to consult your doctor before taking additions.
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Image Source : nypost.com