Do Your Kids Really Need Vitamin Pills?
The children who would most benefit from dietary supplements - unhealthy kids with poor eating habits - typically aren't taking them. Yet active, healthy kids (especially those from high-income families) are. The study looked at data from 10,828 kids, covering 1999-2004.
The Chicago Times reported on the study, and explained that Dr. Ulfat Shaik advised:
Taking daily multivitamins in the dose recommended on the label probably is harmless. However, they often aren't needed for healthy children with a varied diet.
And during the current recession, when every penny counts for many families, spending up to $10 for a bottle of 100 multivitamin tablets may be an unnecessary stretch on families' budgets. The only vitamin that kids are likely to be lacking is Vitamin D. As the Chicago Times explains, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recently doubled the recommended daily intake of Vitamin D for kids and teens, to 400 international units:
...which kids can get by drinking four cups a day of fortified milk. But many don't drink that much, and eat little of the few foods containing the vitamin, including tuna and other oily fish. So the academy recommends supplements for kids lacking adequate vitamin D in diets.
If you want to avoid vitamin pills, food products commonly fortified with Vitamin D in the USA are:
- Breakfast cereals
- Orange juice (some brands)
- Yoghurt (some brands)
- Margerine (some brands)
Vitamin D can be also be produced by the body, with adequate exposure to sunlight.
The indications of the study, though, suggest that - with the exception of vitamin D - most active and healthy kids with a good varied diet don't need vitamin supplementation. And as the Chicago Times points out, pills should never be a substitute for a healthy, balanced diet.
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I would be very slow to give my children, vitamin pills, unless under medical advice. Lots of fruit and juices, is the way to go.Vitamins pills can never substitute learning healthy eating habits.
ReplyI would not be giving my kid too many juices, either...
ReplySt Patrick,
ReplyIt is impossible to get enough vitamin D from diet alone, you either need plenty of sun or supplements. Children given vitamin D have 80% less diabetes later in life, less tooth decay and less Multiple sclerosis. If you live in a northern area there are six months of the year when you make no vitamin D. Read the data on www.vitaminD3world.com it tells all
best
Mike
It's really not impossible, not easy though. Foods like whole eggs, butter, whole-fat dairy, tuna and/or salmon packed in oil (not water since water-packed has no vitamin D), cold-water fish - all have vitamin D...I think they're a better option than fortified cold cereal myself. Not long ago, and in many regions of the world still today, a half-teaspoon of cod liver oil each day does the trick too.
ReplyDiet supplies at most, 600IU per day if you are lucky. If you go out into the mid day sun for 20 mins you make 20,000 units. You need 2000-5000IU per day for essential functions. Milk give you 100IU per 8oz glass, so unless you swim in it, its not anywhere near enough.
ReplyI don't trust doctors for any advice relating to Nutrition or Exercise.
Reply@SCal: So you don't trust the people with years of training and deep understanding for information regarding simple nutrition, but you'll trust some anonymous stranger on the internet? Then I say we should skip plants and vegetables and just eat the dirt. Cut out the middle man.
ReplyMakes me feel better about not taking too many vitamins...but even now I buy the orange juice fortified with vitamin D (had it as a kid too). Doesn't really taste much different.
ReplyI think my parents always gave us a chewable multi when we were kids, just to be sure we were getting enough vitamins that we may have been lacking. Even though we were good eaters, there are some kids out there that live on mustard and white bread sandwiches for a month...those are the kids that probably need a multi. Although, I would question the sanity of someone that allowed their kid to eat nothing but white bread and mustard for a month too. Just a thought.
ReplyHey... better safe then sorry when it comes to meeting the nutritional requirements of those little nuts isn't it?
ReplySometimes we're just giving our children expensive urine and there are some vitamins where over consumption is actually dangerous.
ReplyOne multi-vitamin a day could NEVER lead to any sort of dangerous levels.
ReplyI love how the American Academy of Pediatrics and media portray this study as the kids using vitamins don't need them. This could not be farther from the truth.
It comes as no surprise that those individuals who use vitamin and mineral supplements also engage in other healthy behaviors, such as trying to eat a well-balanced diet and being physically active. Vitamin supplements are one component of a total health package and cannot be teased out of the overall wellness equation. It is also important to point out that the researchers rely on data from the NHANES, but fail to point out that other data from the same survey show that many Americans, including children and adolescents, fail to consume recommended amounts of vitamins E, C and A, as well as calcium and magnesium. A daily multivitamin affordably and safely helps fill these nutrient gaps. In addition, many kids who are more affluent and who are exposed to healthier behaviors do not always follow through and have diets just as deplorable as lower income kids.
The supplement industry agrees with the authors that the underserved population could benefit from a multivitamin. In addition, the dietary supplement industry has long lobbied for legislation to include multivitamins with folic acid in the Food Stamp Provision of the Farm Bill, as well as passage of bills that allow purchase of supplements through flexible spending accounts or health spending accounts, to ensure that all consumers have access to vitamins that can positively impact their overall health and wellness.
ReplyI was going to mention the NHANES data...in each survey since its inception, the level of nutrient intake for children has declined and for some nutrients, it's scary low intake!
ReplyI give my daughter multi-vitamins every day and will continue to do so. It's nearly impossible to get a child to eat all their fruits and veggies so you've got to pick up the slack somewhere.
That's also the main argument I give for all my clients who take multis. There was a recent study showing that the intake of multis is overrated (I know that's a big generality of the study), but there aren't many people out there who get the recommended number of fruits and veggies just to maintain health, let alone some of the cancer prevention recommendations - so why the hell not tell them to take multis?
ReplyOmega 3 fatty acids supplements are very important- EPA and DHA are critical for proper growth and development particularly of the nervous system. A good vitamin mineral supplement makes sense as well considering the typical American diet these days
ReplyWe have been advised here in Norway that the only thing our children need is a spoonful of "tran" or cod liver oil a day. Although a good selection of foods is mostly available here today, I don´t think Norwegians are - or have been known for having what we Americans consider a "balanced diet" in the past - and I must say they are some of the HEALTHIEST people on the planet. This combined with enough outdoor activity (another key factor) seem to be the prescription for a long and healthy life.
Reply