Season 14 • Episode 1114

From Saving Lives to Selling Supplements: A History of Vitamin A

Oct 5, 2026

34:14

Women's Health Nutrition & Diet Global Health Public Health Pregnancy & Maternal Health

Episode Description

About this episode:

Vitamin A is essential for good vision, a healthy immune system, cell growth, and reproductive health, and it has proved to be a critical tool in fighting childhood mortality in parts of the world where access to nutrient-rich foods is limited. But while Vitamin A has saved many lives, supplementation isn't necessary for most people, despite what you may read online. In this episode: a slate of experts from the Johns Hopkins University join host Lindsay Smith Rogers to dive into the history of vitamin A supplementation, how it has shaped global health, and what this incredible nutrient can't do despite its benefits.

Note: This episode was produced in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University sesquicentennial campaign.

Guests:

Brian Foster, PhD, MSc, is an associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and director of the laboratory of cardiovascular biochemistry.

Amanda Palmer, PhD, MHS, is an associate professor of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Alfred Sommer, MHS, is a Johns Hopkins University distinguished service professor and dean emeritus of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Keith P. West, Jr., DrPH, MPH, is the George G. Graham professor of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Host:

Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

The Story of Dean Sommer and Vitamin A—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Bellagio brief: vitamin A deficiency and childhood mortality—Bulletin of the Pan American Health Organization
Moving from science to public health programs: lessons from vitamin—American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Double blind, cluster randomised trial of low dose supplementation with vitamin A or β carotene on mortality related to pregnancy in Nepal—The BMJ
Posner Fellow Studies Role of Vitamin A and Advocates for Patients—Johns Hopkins University & Medicine
In A Grain Of Golden Rice, A World Of Controversy Over GMO Foods—NPR
Poison Centers Observe Increased Vitamin A Exposures in Children During Measles Outbreak—America's Poison Centers
Remedy Supported by Kennedy Leaves Some Measles Patients More Ill—New York Times

Transcript information:

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