Children have special nutritional needs for growing bodies, and can also be picky about what they ingest. For both reasons, supplements for children are often formulated with different active constituents and in different forms than adult supplements. Supplements containing artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners, such as aspartame, should be avoided.
For younger children, chewable multivitamins with iron are best avoided, as too much iron can be toxic.
In addition to the vitamins and minerals found in most multivitamins, there are other supplements that can be particularly helpful for childrens’ health. Probiotics containing healthy bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilusand Bifidobacteriumboost immune function and help with digestion and food allergies, and have been shown to decrease severity of colds and prevalence of upper respiratory infections. DHA offers support for growing brains, and additional calcium and Vitamin D supplementation helps build and strengthen growing bones.
For children diagnoses with ADHD or learning disorders, there are additional supplements backed by clinical research. Learning disorders are often linked to low levels of essential fatty acids, so EFA supplementation is critical. B-complex, zinc and magnesium and the amino acids L-Tyrosine and L-glutamine also offer proven support for attention and learning issues.