Why You Shouldn’t Give Your Kids Multivitamins
It’s a question parents often ask. “When can I start giving my kids vitamins? What vitamins are the best vitamins?” However, Lee Health Pediatrician Dr. Melissa Bacchus said she normally advises against multivitamins for kids. “Your body is more efficient than you think it is. Unless the child actually has an underlying metabolic condition or underlying endocrine issue, they will not need a supplement because their body can extract what it needs from whatever food it eats.”
It is important to remember vitamins aren’t marketed as medicine. “Because they’re not marketed and sold as medicine, the FDA does not have any jurisdiction. The FDA does not regulate the market,” said Dr. Bacchus. Since some come in gummy form, they can also cause cavities…or worse. “Kids see these vitamins, they’re colorful, tasty, they’re in fun of shapes, so they see it as candy and not medicine, so they’re going to eat more and more of it, and it is a medicine so they can overdose.”
Dr. Bacchus said parents overestimate how many vitamins kids need. The vitamins and minerals that we get from food are much better absorbed than anything we would get in a supplement. Additionally, “A lot of food right now is supplemented. Our cereals have added calcium and iron. Even our waffles have calcium added to it. We have milk fortified with Vitamin D.”
If your kids are picky eaters, take them grocery shopping and give them some control to choose what kind of fruits and veggies they want to try.
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