Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Can Adults Take Children’s Nutritional Supplements?

Millions of adults take a daily baby aspirin to lower the risk of heart attack. And, countless men and women also pop one or two of their children’s nutritional supplements as a kind of “insurance policy” to fill in the gaps of a less than balanced diet. Does this sound familiar? Let’s take a closer look at the benefits and risks of taking kids multi vitamins as an adult.

Nutritional needs of adults and children are naturally different. While a child may only need around 4 mgs of iron each day, an adult male needs 6 mgs. These variances span both vitamins and minerals. There are also some health circumstances that warrant increased amounts of certain nutrients. For example, pregnant women require additional folic acid to prevent neural tube defects.

In other words, kids multi vitamins are unlikely to contain enough vitamins and minerals to meet the needs of most adult men and women. With that said, supplements formulated for kids do offer some amount of nutrition regardless of your age. If you are in the habit of taking children’s nutritional supplements at the same time as your kids, make sure you choose a natural formula with a balanced list of vitamins and minerals. Nature’s Plus Animal Parade Gold Children’s Chewable is a good choice because it offers a full range of nutrients in a delicious, sugar-free formula. Both you and your kids will love the taste!

Most dieticians will tell you that vitamins are not always necessary if you eat a balanced diet that includes fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein. If getting in daily allowances of vitamins and minerals isn’t possible through diet, supplementation is a good idea. This should be discussed with your healthcare provider.

In almost all cases, taking children’s nutritional supplements is safe. However, it’s important to keep in mind that they will almost certainly not provide all of your nutritional needs. An adult supplement may be a better choice.

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