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Do children need vitamin supplements?
Results so far:
| Yes | 65% | 243 votes | Total: 372 votes | |
| No | 35% | 129 votes |
Yes
by James Dreamer
Created on: December 26, 2007
Do Children Need Vitamin Supplements?
Humans are omnivores. An omnivore can process a high variety of foods. We consume not only meat and protein like carnivores, but also plants and carbohydrates like herbivores. This gives our bodies a substantial amount of chemical alternatives which it can utilize to build healthy tissues throughout our infrastructure.
However, the process only works well if we actually consume the variety of foods our body is capable of processing. Unfortunately, in our modern world we seem to bypass much of that diversity, especially our children. When children are thirsty many drink soda pop which is basically processed sugar and water with a little artificial flavor thrown in. When they are hungry many gravitate toward junk foods or the same foods much of the time with little variation. This does not give their body enough selection of raw materials for it to complete the tasks necessary to grow and maintain itself correctly.
Are vitamin supplements the answer? If we admit to the reality of our eating habits, yes. Are they the best answer? Not really. The best answer would be for all of us to eat a perfectly balanced diet made up of a combination of foods containing all the minerals and vitamins necessary for our bodies to maintain themselves and remain healthy. Will that ever happen? Not likely. Vitamin and mineral supplements are the next best thing.
Have you ever noticed how many species of pets can live a long healthy life eating almost exclusively one type of food? Scientists have studied specific genres of animals and determined what combination of vitamins and minerals must be consumed by that particular animal type to survive. Its food is then prepared using these ingredients and contains everything necessary for that animals health.
Doctors and scientists have undertaken the same studies regarding humans, determining the best combination of vitamins and minerals necessary for our survival. The minimum amount of these is contained in a one-a-day vitamin. If we are not going to eat a perfectly balanced diet, taking these supplements can give us some of the minerals that are absent from our insufficiently diversified food intake, thus providing our bodies with the necessary building blocks to remain healthy.
Children especially need a diverse intake of vitamins and minerals as their bodies are not only maintaining themselves but growing into adulthood. A one-a-day vitamin contains many of the chemicals necessary to form good healthy organs, bones and other tissues. Sometimes a specific vitamin or mineral is deficient in certain children due to diet or heredity. Once this deficiency is discovered, specific supplements can be consumed to correct it.
I would recommend a one-a-day vitamin for every child. I believe if a comprehensive study was done it would reveal less health problems for children who take them versus children who do not.
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No
by Travis King
Created on: March 15, 2010
Do children need vitamin supplements? Not necessarily. Most children, if they are eating a balanced diet, will receive sufficient nutrition from their food. For thousands of years we survived without supplements, and those who ate what we recognize today as a healthy diet were relatively healthy. In recent times, nutritional advances have taught us that certain foods, or chemicals found in foods, play a role in preventing certain diseases. For example, for most of history sailors were often stricken with a disease called scurvy, but when sailors ate foods rich in vitamin C, they did not get scurvy. Another example is vitamin D, which our bodies create when exposed to sunlight. Recent studies have shown that many people do not get enough of this important nutrient. The growing science of nutrition is teaching us many things about the roles of nutrients and how they keep us healthy.
If children eat a healthy diet based on a variety of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts, they will probably not need vitamin supplements. However, many children, especially in poverty-stricken countries and even in rich countries where children feast on macaroni and cheese, don't get adequate nutrition from their food. These children will probably need to supplement with vitamins and other nutrients. Some children also have medical conditions that affect their absorption of nutrients, so they also may need to supplement. You should always consult a doctor, however, before giving your child supplements. There are tests available to monitor the levels of nutrients in the body, which can determine if your child needs supplements, what kind, and how much.
The drawback to supplements is not always that you may not get enough of a nutrient but that you may get too much. Taking super-doses of vitamins and minerals, especially fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E, and K, can cause health problems as bad as those caused by deficiencies. Many people do not realize that more is not always better, and can in fact be harmful in the case of nutrition.
In summary, if your child is eating a healthy diet and getting enough water, sunshine and exercise, he or she should not need vitamin supplements unless prescribed by your doctor. You should always ask your doctor before giving your child supplements, especially large doses of vitamins, which may be harmful. We are learning more and more about nutrition every day, and this information will help our children to be healthy and successful in the future.
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