Mercola Backs Vitamin K Shots for All Newborns After 10 Years of Warning Against Them
Updated
Updated · ProPublica · Jun 12
Mercola Backs Vitamin K Shots for All Newborns After 10 Years of Warning Against Them
2 articles · Updated · ProPublica · Jun 12
Summary
An April article on Joseph Mercola’s website endorsed vitamin K prophylaxis for all newborns, with the vaccine skeptic writing that “the data is clear: vitamin K saves lives.”
ProPublica said the reversal came after it contacted Mercola while reporting on babies who died after parents declined the shot; Mercola also urged parents to consult pediatricians.
The shift matters because hospitals and studies have documented rising refusal of the shot, which the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended since 1961 and which research says cuts an 81-fold higher risk of late vitamin K deficiency bleeding.
Mercola had long promoted oral drops instead of the injection and his 2010 post was cited by hesitant families, even though the drops are not FDA-approved and are less effective.
His reversal may not end resistance: false claims still spread widely online, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently declined at a House hearing to explicitly tell parents to give newborns the shot.
Why did a top health skeptic suddenly reverse his decade-long stance on the life-saving newborn vitamin K shot?
As hospitals see more preventable infant deaths, why do parents increasingly reject a decades-old standard of care?
Can one influencer's reversal undo years of deadly misinformation that he himself helped to spread online?
From Misinformation to Medical Consensus: Dr. Mercola’s Vitamin K Shot Reversal and the Growing Crisis of Parental Refusal
Overview
In April 2026, Dr. Joseph Mercola made a notable public reversal on his long-standing opposition to vitamin K shots for newborns, a shift that was highlighted after ProPublica approached him for an interview. Although he declined to participate directly, Dr. Mercola provided a written response, clarifying that his current stance was accurately reflected in a recent article and that he had nothing further to add. This change comes amid rising refusal rates of vitamin K shots and renewed attention to preventable infant deaths, underscoring the importance of clear public health messaging and accountability from influential figures.