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Dietary Supplements Are Risky For Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults

Children, adolescents, and young adults increasingly seek the use of dietary supplements to become bigger, leaner, or to have more energy.  Aggressive marketing techniques by supplement manufacturers increase the potential for supplements to be sought out for use by adolescents and young adults.

A 2002 US National Health Interview Survey reported that 29.1 % of adolescents between the ages of 14 and 19 years of age used a dietary supplement within the past 30 days. Similar use rates continue to be reported in 2018. 

Risks of dietary supplements include heart arrhythmia, stroke, liver or kidney failure, and neurologic system injury, or death. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and others have long recognized the inherent risks of dietary supplements for weight loss, muscle building, and energy, and have advocated against their use in children and adolescents. Dietary supplements may also be compromised by the use of tainted products added during manufacture process, posing additional and unknown health risks to supplement users.

Dietary supplements are not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the same manner for safety and effectiveness as are prescription medications. As such, supplements may vary in safety and effectiveness for their advertised use.  

A recent study in press from Harvard University and the Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine at Children’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts in the Journal of Adolescent Health reports on significant adverse events that may occur to children, adolescents, and young adults when dietary supplements are used for weight loss, muscle building and energy.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship of supplement use and adverse medical events in children (0-11 years), adolescents (12-17 years), and young adults (18-25 years). They analyzed data reported to the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) from January 2004 to April 2015. Adverse events may be reported voluntarily by consumers or health professionals or via mandated reporting by supplement manufacturers, packers, or distributors.

In their review of 977 supplement related adverse events, there were 166 hospitalizations, 39 life threatening events, and 22 involved deaths.

Their analysis concluded that the use of dietary supplements in children, adolescents, and young adults show a three times risk for an adverse medical event when dietary supplements were used for weight loss or muscle building as compared to vitamins. The data also showed that the risk for an adverse event from energy supplements was two times that over vitamins in the adolescent and young adult age groups. 

Limitations to their study include the use of reported data to FAERS which does not include total numbers of patients using dietary supplements. Also, adverse events due to supplement use may be unrecognized or under reported by health professionals. Other limitations include individual supplements may advertise multiple indications for use on their packaging, and individuals may be on more than a single supplement over time.

This recent study from Harvard does support previous recommendations from the APA and other researchers that children, adolescents, and young adults should avoid the use of dietary supplements for weight loss, muscle building, or energy. Consultation with appropriate health care professionals regarding diet and weight management, muscle training, and improved sleep habits are a preferred option over dietary supplement use.

Parents should be aware of the risks of dietary supplements and remain vigilant in avoiding supplement use by children and adolescents.

Article References:

Or F, Kim Y, Simms J, and Austin SB. Taking Stock of Dietary Supplements’ Harmful Effects on Children, Adolescents, and young Adults. Journal of Adolescent Health. In press, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.03.005

American Academy of Pediatrics. Kids should not consume energy drinks, and rarely need sports drinks. 

https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/Kids-Should-Not-Consume-Energy-Drinks,-and-Rarely-Need-Sports-Drinks,-Says-AAP.aspx

Qato DM, Alexander GC, Guadamuz JS, Lindau ST. Prevalence of Dietary Supplement Use in US Children and Adolescents, 2003-2014. JAMA Pediatr. 2018;172(8):780–782. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.1008

​This article does not provide medical advice for individuals or their specific problems. Such advice should be obtained from a health care provider.​

September 7, 2019


​by; Dr Randy McCool

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