



“Part of the problem in science and in food is that people look at the ingredients and they don’t think that the actual amount matters,” he said in an interview. Robert Sidonio, an associate professor of pediatrics at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University, agreed. “You would need to give around 100 times the amount in the shot on a daily basis to cause any side effects,” he added.ĭr.

“Without Vitamin K, an infant can have severe bleeding into the intestines or brain, severe enough to cause death.”īenzyl alcohol is used in the shot to prevent bacterial contamination, Bernstein said, and is safe in the amount used. Andrew Bernstein, a Chicago-area general pediatrician and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatricians, told The Associated Press in an email. “Infants are born with low levels of Vitamin K, and breastmilk or formula don’t contain enough of the vitamin to boost its level in babies,” Dr. That’s misleading, experts say, and undercuts an important measure used to save babies’ lives.Ī video of Feinstein returning to the Capitol was edited to swap her sedan for a hearse CNS depressants also cause sleepiness and a decrease in appetite.” This leads to a decrease in respiratory effort, heart rate, and oxygen saturation. “It’s also a central nervous system (CNS) depressant. “The main preservative in Vitamin K shots is benzoyl alcohol, which is considered to be toxic to newborns,” reads one slide in the post, misspelling benzyl. THE FACTS: The vitamin K shot is given to babies at birth to protect against bleeding that can occur early in life because of low levels of the vitamin it’s been recommended since 1961.Ī popular Instagram post misleadingly suggests the shot is dangerous because of one of its ingredients. Experts say a newborn would need to receive much more, on the order of 100 times the amount used, for it to cause side effects. The shot, given to babies to guard against bleeding, uses a small amount of benzyl alcohol to protect against bacterial contamination. CLAIM: The vitamin K shot given to babies contains benzyl alcohol, which is toxic to newborns.ĪP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context.
