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Beware of Supplements for Kids Dietary supplements and herbal mixtures aimed at your children may be a waste of your money — and a threat to their health. Traditionally, the term dietary supplement referred to vitamins and minerals. Currently, it includes herbs and other botanical products, enzymes, animal extracts and so on. Firms are advertising herbs and supplements as remedies for everything from colds and asthma to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. “We’re very concerned about how some dietary supplements for kids are being portrayed in ads,” says J. Howard Beales, III., director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). “In spite of the fact that many of these products may have been used for hundreds of years, we have no systematic scientific data on their use in children,” adds Michael Sia, M.D., pediatrician and chairman, Department of Pediatrics, Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children. “It is hard to resist supplements promoted as effective treatments for children’s disease,” says Dr. Sia. “Deceptive ads describe the supplement products as ‘natural,’ but that does not necessarily mean ‘safe,’ especially when compared with prescription medications. Some herbs, like drugs, can have potent pharmacological effects.” Many dietary supplements are also not held to any federal standards to ensure purity and quality. Michael Sia, M.D. “Parents’ fears of giving their children prescription drugs are often exploited by alternative therapies. Our concern with these claims is that parents fall for the products and ignore proven, perhaps essential, treatments for their child’s disorder,” says Dr. Sia. The FTC says consumers should never rely on just one source for information about supplements. If the information is legitimate, your pediatrician or family doctor will know about it. Pointers for parents Beware of fraudulent promoters’ claims of “scientific breakthroughs,” “miraculous cures,” “exclusive products,” “secret ingredients” or “ancient remedies.” (If a product is so amazing, why would you be reading about it for the first time in an ad?) Beware of money-back guarantees. Avoid products that claim to be available from only one source, and whose payment is required in advance. Check on supplements’ side effects, and potential food and drug interactions — some effects can be especially risky for kids taking medications. Your best adviser is your child’s pediatrician or another health care provider. Be sure to check with one or both of them before starting your child on a supplement. Keep them informed of your child’s continuing use of the product.