CRN addresses study claiming children's vitamins generally exceed RDAs

NEW YORK — The Council for Responsible Nutrition on Monday helped to tone down the conclusions of a recent study reported by Reuters Health that found vitamin supplements marketed for infants and children contained more than the recommended amount of individual vitamins. 

Specifically, the study found that supplements marketed for older children contained five times the recommended amount of vitamin C. And the average amount of biotin in children's supplements was as much as nine times the RDA. 

According to the report, researchers found that in all but one case (vitamin D) the average vitamin content of those supplements exceeded what's recommended. "What we did is compare what's on the labels for [children's vitamins] to the recommended daily allowance or adequate intake," Michael Madden, lead author of the study from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, told Reuters Health.

However, the study did not identify any health concerns with use of the children's supplements. 

According to CRN SVP scientific and regulatory affairs Duffy MacKay, the recommended daily allowances as issued by the Institute of Medicine haven't been updated recently. Further, he suggested to Reuters Health, the new study did not distinguish between multivitamins and single-letter vitamins. "There are reasons why some of the vitamins would contain more than the RDA," he said. For instance, single vitamin supplements could be made for kids who are deficient in that particular vitamin.

MacKay recommended parents read the supplement label and ascertain whether or not to give the supplement to their children after talking to their pediatrician.