Worried moms are often found giving kids dietary supplements in a bid to see them hale and hearty. Most of them are bought over the counter and are not prescribed by the health specialist.
Kids are stuffing themselves with junk food all the time, and not eating enough required food, they are not getting the required nutrients.
An interesting study by the U.S. National Institutes of Health reveals that more than 30 percent of the American children take some kind of dietary supplements such as multivitamins and multi-minerals.
The study analyzed data on more than 10,000 children from 1999 to 2002 and found that 31.8 percent of children less than 18 yrs had used dietary supplements in the previous 30 days.
Here are some more interesting facts that were published in the journal ‘Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine’.
Supplements were used by 38.3 percent of non-Hispanic white children, 22.4 percent of Mexican Americans, and 18.8 percent of non-Hispanic blacks.
Multivitamins and multi-minerals (18.3 percent) were the most commonly used supplements, followed by single vitamins (4.2 percent), single minerals (2.4 percent), and botanical supplements (0.8 percent).
83.9 percent of children who took any supplements took only one, 11.8 percent took two, and 4.3 percent took three or more.
Supplement use in children was associated with higher family income, a smoke-free environment, lower body mass index, and less daily television, video game or computer time.
Underweight children or those at risk for being underweight were most likely to take supplements.
Researchers of NIH Office of Dietary Supplements said,
Dietary supplements provide a consistent daily source of nutrients for nearly one-third of U.S. children, yet individual and national-level estimates of nutrient intake rarely account for them.
While it is okay to give supplements to children to prevent malnutrition, it is a bad idea to replace healthy foods with these pills unless the kids are allergic to particular foods. Healthy meals and snacks can provide your kids all the required nutrients.
So, toss those supplements out and use the dollars saved to buy fruits and veggies instead!
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