Dietary Supplements for Kids Exceed Vitamin Doses: Study

Take stock if your kid is on vitamin supplements as he/she may be consuming a greater amount than recommended. According to a new study, a child's body may lack the ability to handle excess amounts of certain vitamins. For the research, scientists reviewed the labels of nearly 200 dietary supplements marketed for children in two age groups - younger than 12 months, and 1 to 4 years old. Most products contained vitamin levels much greater than those recommended for children in a single day, says the study that appeared in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. For example, dietary supplements for children ages 1 to 4 contained, on average, about 300 percent of the daily recommended levels of vitamin A, thiamin and riboflavin, 500 percent of the recommended level of vitamin C and more than 900 percent of the recommended level of biotin, said the study reported by LiveScience.com. Vitamin D was the only vitamin that was present at or below recommended levels for both age groups, it added. "It's too soon to know whether these findings are concerning," Michael Madden, an assistant professor at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) in the US, was quoted as saying. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), an American non-profit organisation, young children should not consume excess levels of certain vitamins, including vitamins K and B12, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, pantothenic acid and biotin. Parents should speak with their pediatricians about whether their young child may need to take supplements. Some children may need supplements if, for instance, they have selective eating habits, and, therefore, do not get adequate levels of vitamins through food, it added.