Parents want the best for their children, and that includes dietary supplements, which ones are best and how much is too much? An article in the Wall Street Journal by Anna Wilde Mathews addressed these issues.
The article reports sales of children’s vitamins were $1.1 billion in 2008, which was the first year they were tracked. Multivitamins were the most popular, but pediatricians quoted in the article said parents may be giving too many pills to children. They warm against excessive doses of fat-soluble vitamins and said some supplements’ benefits have been overstated. The article further noted the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dietetic Association say a varied diet is the best way to get nutrition, eliminating the need for supplements. Dennis Bier, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, added foods provide other known and unknown nutrients, such as carotenoids and flavonoids, that are not found in supplements.
Even children with specific dietary needs, such as vegetarians, can meet nutritional needs through foods said a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Parents need to be sure these children get enough vitamin B12, which can be obtained through fortified foods; iron and calcium. Vegans, Mathews noted, have a more difficult challenge.
Matthews also warned against giving children vitamins intended for adults to avoid toxicity or “expensive urine.”
Beyond vitamins, the article said herbal supplements like St. John's wort and echinacea, are not a good idea for kids because younger bodies are more vulnerable to the risks they may pose. The article also noted FDA warnings against sports supplements for children.
On the other side, the article quoted Duffy MacKay, a vice president at the Council for Responsible Nutrition, who said children aged 2 to 18 should take multivitamins because they generally don't meet nutritional recommendations from their diet. He added most children's vitamins don’t contain 100 percent of daily values, and the rest should be obtained from food.
However, children are notoriously picky about food choices, and the article said many fall short on potassium, magnesium, calcium, vitamin E, vitamin D and fiber among other nutrients. Kids don’t eat enough fruits, vegetable and whole grains, doctors noted, so multivitamins may help fill nutrition gaps.
To find out the specific needs of children, the article recommended checking out the federal government's dietary guidelines. Per usual, the article also recommended parents talk to their children’s doctor before giving supplements.