Do Children Need Vitamin Supplements?

Part of my work is dealing directly with the sale of vitamins, vitamin supplements, herbal and homeopathic capsules, pills, oils, powders, soft gels and any other format these companies can think up in order to make a buck off the consumer. I do not sell these products, but I work on the advertising end. The time, money, and advertisement it takes to convince someone to pay $62.00 for a bottle of 60 capsules, is unbelievable, but it's worth it to these companies, because on the other end, they make thousands upon thousands of dollars selling them.

I am not saying that vitamin supplements are harmful, although I do know that there could be a bad interaction if combining them with some prescription drugs prescribed by a doctor. Your doctor should always be kept informed of what else you are putting in your body. The warning on our labels always states: Keep out of the reach of children and Please contact your physician before taking this or any other drug.

I only wish the consumers would abide by these warnings and recommendations, unfortunately some don't.

As for most children needing them in their diet, that would be a simple, no, in my opinion.

If you would carefully read the directions or the descriptions on the supplement label, in many cases you will find phrases such as, "may be helpful in the absorption of..." or "has been know to support the immune system of ..." or "the Inca Indian's where thought to have used this in ...". You get the picture, nothing is set in stone, just a lot of may be and may haves and could be. Like I said, read the labels and see for yourself.

Unless you are living in a third world country and there isn't any food fit for consumption, or your living with your family on the streets (in either case, vitamins would be the least of your concern), you need not worry.