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Multi-vitamins: Too much of a good thing

by Diana

Time to read: 2 minutes.

Fact: There’s an increasing LACK of evidence that multivitamins benefit our kids.  Fact: Most parents believe that it’s good practice to give children good things masquerading as bad (like vitamins).  So long as they ingest it, all is good right?  Wrong.  Consider the scientific facts and the negative habits that this charade reinforces in kids. 

The inconvenient truth:

“More than half of Americans are taking dietary supplements, the majority of which are multivitamins, and the bottom line is that we don’t know for sure that they’re benefiting from them. In fact, we’re concerned that some people may be getting too much of certain nutrients,” says J. Michael McGinnis, M.D., M.P.P., Senior Scholar with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

According to this and various other studies, few scientists believe multi-vitamins to be good at reducing disease risk.

Even the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend vitamin supplements for kids on a healthy diet.

The multibillion dollar multi-vitamin business just got some bad news, eh? A National Institutes of Health (NIH) panel also found insufficient evidence on the benefits and safety of multivitamins needed to recommend their regular consumption. So what should we do?

Well how about getting all the vitamins and mineral we and our children need from REAL FOOD?  If your child has a diet rich in calcium and fiber — and low on saturated fat — he/she doesn’t need a multi-vitamin.  Vitamin absorption is also an issue often not considered.  Real food typically provides better absorption properties.

Just think back to the last time you were standing in the store isle and staring at the dizzying variety of multi-vitamins aimed at kids.  Confused?  Why should we be confused and overwhelmed?  It’s just vitamins.  This situation is a sign… not to mention the sugary, sticky nature of these candies posing as nutrients.  A closer look reveals ingredients that aren’t vitamins at all — stuff that is difficult to pronounce.

Still not convinced?  A study conducted by University of California, Davis found astonishing results. The study involved 11,000 children from age 2 to 17 years old who took vitamin supplements.  In the end, the researchers found that the kids were eating diets rich enough in vitamins — such that they didn’t need the pills (or shall we call them gummi candies).

Bottom line: present your child with a healthy choices, healthy diet rich on dark green leafy vegetables.  Basically, let your child eats his/her colors – and that’s not M&M I’m talking about.