If you have never considered a children’s multivitamin before, you may be interested in a study performed in China at the Institute of Health Foods at the Academy of Medical Science.
The researchers wanted to see what would happen to children’s reading speed, learning capacity and mathematical ability if they had a greater intake of nutrients in their diet. They added a children’s multivitamin supplement to the diet of 110 students between the ages of 8 and 12 years old while another 110 students received a placebo.
Children are especially prone to nutrient deficiencies because they are generally picky eaters. One week they love yams and the next week they prefer potatoes. One day they’ll try broccoli and the next go back to green beans. Every nutritional study performed on children has found multiple deficiencies since the very beginning when nutritional studies were reported.
The researchers found a distinct difference between the students who were taking the children’s multivitamin and those who weren’t. Specifically, the children on the supplements performed significantly better in reading, math and overall learning ability.
Students taking a children’s multivitamin had a higher excretion of riboflavin (vitamin B2) and vitamin C than they did at the beginning of the study. Also, the children had a higher bone density. They concluded that taking the supplements played a notable part in the children’s learning.
Is your child taking a multivitamin at this time? Many companies have created kid-friendly vitamins that children love to take. Children will notice subtle differences in how they feel and ask for supplements after they have been taking them awhile.
If your child hasn’t been taking any children’s multivitamins, consider starting the supplements this year. Then watch your child’s behavior and notice the small changes that lead to bigger improvements in health as time goes on. If your child has an auditory processing disorder or other learning difficulties, multivitamins could help supplement their treatment.
Source: Study on the effect of micronutrients supplementation on health status of children, Wei Sheng Yan Jiu, Sept 2003, Vol. 32, No. 5, 455-8.
