December 2006: Vitamin and mineral supplement intake in adolescents

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) that intake of a wide variety of foods is preferred over vitamin and mineral supplementation as a means to meet vitamin and mineral intake needs. However, the number of adolescents taking supplements is on the rise. Many studies show that adolescents are not meeting vitamin and mineral needs through diet alone. Article 2, a study on the relationship between vitamin and mineral supplementation and dietary adequacy, found that a notable proportion of adolescents did not meet 75% of the RDA for many nutrients by diet alone. The study also found that 35% of females who did not use supplements consumed inadequate amounts of every micronutrient included in the study. Both article 1 and 2 found that adolescents who take supplements have a more healthy diet. Article 2 found that supplement users had significantly higher nutrient intakes of all micronutrients except zinc when compared to nonusers. Article 1 found that supplement users consumed more daily servings of whole grain, fruit and juice, vegetables, and fish and seafood than non users. Adolescents in both studies who used supplements consumed less fat and saturated fat than adolescents who did not use supplements. The first article also found that adolescents who take supplements are more likely to be physically active, less likely to be overweight, less likely to watch more than an hour of television per day and less likely to smoke. These studies found that only a small proportion of adolescents (1/3-1/4) are used supplements. Furthermore, adolescents who have the least nutrient-dense diets (and therefore the greatest need for supplements) are least likely to take them.

Article 1 (Continuing education): Reaves L, Steffen LM, Dwyer JT, Webber LS, Lytle LA, Feldman HA, et al. Vitamin Supplement Intake Is Related to Dietary Intake and Physical Activity: The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH). J Am Diet Assoc. 2006; 106: 2018- 2023.

Continuing education questionaire: http://download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/pdfs/journals/0002-8223/PIIS0002822306024424.pdf

Article 2: Stang J, Story M, Harnack L, Neumark-Sztainer D. Relationships between vitamin and mineral supplement use, dietary intake, and dietary adequacy among adolescents. J Am Diet Assoc. 2000; 100:905-910.

Both articles are available online at www.adajournal.org