Background: Voluntary and mandatory fortification of pediatric foods, along with widespread consumption of dietary supplements have resulted in an increased proportion of children with excessive micronutrient intake.
Aim: This study aimed to analyze the proportion of pediatric dietary supplements that exceed the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and Tolerable Upper Limit for the individual micronutrients. We further identified the proportion of supplements with large amounts of micronutrients that were marketed through child-friendly and parent-geared promotional language and graphics on the packaging.
Methods: The nutrient facts label on pediatric supplement packages sold by three large retail pharmacy chains was analyzed for micronutrient content. Labels were examined for the presence of trademarked or generic cartoon characters and parent-geared health promotional statements.
Results: More than a third and almost a fifth of the samples contained vitamin A and niacin respectively in amounts equivalent to or above the established tolerable upper limit for one- to three-year-old children. A major proportion of these supplements had child-friendly and parent-targeted promotional language on the package.
Conclusion: The potential for pediatric supplements as a source for excessive micronutrient consumption underscores the need for parents and health care professionals to use nutrition labels as a valuable tool to prevent micronutrient toxicity.
Keywords: Pediatric; minerals; overexposure; supplements; vitamins.