Children and Dietary Supplements

Parents cautioned about giving children dietary supplements.
On the front of its Personal Journal section, the Wall Street Journal (5/4, D1, Mathews) reports that increasingly, Americans are giving their children dietary supplements, but groups, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dietetic Association, caution that food is the best source of nutrition. Besides, some supplements, if taken in excess, can prove dangerous. Nevertheless, physicians concede that children who are picky eaters may need certain supplements, although experts urge parents to be wary of nutrition claims, particularly since the FDA does not regulate supplements to the same extent that it does drugs.