Vitamins used when unnecessary, lacking when needed

Children whose diets do not require vitamin and mineral supplements are more likely to take them, while children whose diets call for them most often do not take them, according to a study in the February 2009 edition of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 

“Children who don’t have access to vitamins and supplements and who are not getting adequate diets are more likely to develop deficiencies, especially very young children, which will affect growth and development,” said Dr. Alex Kojo Anderson, assistant professor of Foods and Nutrition at the University of Georgia. 

Similarly, children with diets that already include enough micronutrients could do themselves harm by taking too much of a certain vitamin or supplement, according to Anderson.  Iodine, for example, is necessary in small quantities, and can be found in foods such as iodized salt and seafood.  An abundance of Iodine, however, can cause Toxicity, while a deficiency can lead to Cretinism, a disease characterized by delayed growth and slow cognitive function, said Anderson.  

The study finds that with proper nutrition, vitamins and supplements are not imperative.  While the county lacks programs to provide low-income families access to vitamins and supplements, they are taking steps to improve the quality of knowledge and access to proper nutrition.

County Health Department aim to minimize the poor nutrition among children by extending the government subsidized Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program to provide education and resources, such as milk, juice, and low-sugar cereals to women and children, up to age five. 

The most crucial time for proper nutrition is up to age two, because that is when children develop most, according to Anderson. 

Pregnant mothers with moderate to low income are eligible to remain on WIC until the infant is six months old, or a year old if the mother was breast feeding.

While the study found that vitamins can supplement proper nutrition and vice versa, the American Academy of Pediatrics still recommends vitamins for children with chronic diseases, eating disorders and liver disease, as well as to obese children attempting to lose weight. 

Americans spend around $2 million each year on vitamins, which are the third most common category of medication in the United States, according to the AAP.