The benefits and side effects of vitamins increase with increasing doses. At very low doses, side effects are almost unknown and the benefits are the biggest possible (at very low doses vitamins prevent death). At high enough doses the incremental benefits are difficult to quantify and the side effects are obvious. It is easy to make the decision to take a lower dose. Optimal doses of vitamins lie between these extremes. For the large majority, food is not enough and getting optimal dosages requires taking supplements.

The primary function of vitamins is to catalyze the chemical reactions responsible for growth and development. It is far more important to eat optimal doses of vitamins as a child than as an adult.

Here are some risks associated with not taking extra vitamins as a child:

 Lower IQ (special education is a booming business touching the lives of
close to 10% of the nation’s children)
 Reduced athletic ability (a majority of today’s aspiring Olympians take
extra vitamins)
 Reduced IQ and/or athletic ability caused by a severe viral or bacterial
infection (extra vitamins can reduce the duration and severity of illnesses)
 Childhood cancer
 Childhood diabetes
 Childhood heart disease
 Eating disorders

Reduced athletic ability and IQ are associated with childhood cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and eating disorders. Exposure to the growing levels of heavy metals in the environment is a likely causing of the rising incidences of these conditions. There is no known cure for reduced IQ and athletic ability.

Here are the most serious risks associated with extra vitamins:

 Neuropathy
 Vomiting
 Impaired vision
 Nausea
 Headache
 Fatigue

There are hundreds of known vitamin side effects that are not hard to find on the internet with just a little digging. All these side effects are 100% reversible if treated promptly by lowering the dosage of the offending vitamin. There is no reason to believe that vitamins should cause any child more than minor discomfort if the doses they are taking are overseen by an experienced pediatrician.

Today’s children are in trouble. The levels of toxins in the environment are rising steadily. Expectations for academic achievement are rising steadily. The penalty for being in the bottom quarter of the population in health and intelligence is increasing. Food is not enough. A one RDA multivitamin is not enough. Today’s children need extra vitamin C, extra niacin, and a multivitamin formulated with more than 1 RDA of B-complex vitamins.