Should Kids Take Immunity Boosting Vitamins To Prevent The Common Cold?
As parents, we want the best for our kids. This means serving them a well-balanced diet—as much as we can—encouraging playtime outside and even let them get a little dirty to help build immunity.
Although we have good intentions and try to execute all these things, we are often faced with many parenting dilemmas.One includes whether or not we should give our kids vitamins.Sure we are easy to hand out a kids’ gummy multi-vitamin. But is this enough when they often catch the common cold?
This is especially the case when our little ones are heading to summer camp. Before we know it they will be back to school, bringing home with them all the germs that get passed along.
So should kids take immunity-boosting vitamins fo prevent catching a cold?
Vitamins For Immune System Support
When we talk about these types of vitamins we are referring to the kinds that feature ingredients that promote a healthy immune system.When someone catches a cold, the first things we think of is loading up on vitamin C. And rightfully so.Vitamin C is packed with immune system boosting properties. It is found in foods like oranges and grapefruits, as well as in spinach and broccoli.It’s important to incorporate vitamin C into the diet because the body doesn’t naturally produce it. This is why taking a supplement is beneficial.Other vitamins that promote a healthy immune system include vitamin B6, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D, zinc and iron.
What Is Echinacea? Everything You Need To Know
There are vitamins like NDX Kids Gummy Cuties that aim to boost immunity with vitamins like C and A, along with zinc and the addition of echinacea. Derived from a North American coneflower, echinacea is considered herbal medicine. It is used for its antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Echinacea plants are high in antioxidants, which helps protect the cells from infection and reduce inflammation. Some studies suggest that echinacea helps the body fight infections as well as speed up recovery time when suffering from a cold or virus.
Other health benefits suggests reduced anxiety, lower blood sugar and even anti-cancer properties. However, there's limited human-based research on all its benefits.
“There is little research in the effects of echinacea in children,” Drs. Lai and Kardos, pediatricians who run the award-winning blog Two Peds In a Pod (https://twopedsinapod.org) said in a joint statement.
Dr. Lai added, “There are some promising adult studies.” But the doctors added that some studies found that echinacea appears not to be that much helpful in mitigating cold symptoms.
However, a study published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that vitamin D, C, zinc, and echinacea were all found to reduce the duration of the common cold as well as symptoms. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
According to this study, over a four-month period, researchers were able to conclude that 2400 mg/day was beneficial to both preventing a treating the cold. The study does add that more in-depth research needs to be done on this topic.
So Should We Give It To Our Kids?
It’s important to follow vitamin dosage guidelines for children. This inlaces no more than 400 mg of vitamin C a day for kids ages one to three.And since there is mixed feelings when it comes to the research, this decision comes down to the parent. Some opt to get nutrients solely from their kids diets. While other try to incorporate vitamins into their kids lives as a way to ensure they have the essential vitamins and minerals that they need to be healthy.
Parents can feel good about Gummy Cuties because it is all natural, gluten-free and non-GMO. It’s ingredients for its immunity boosting option include 80 mg of Vitamin C and 2.5 mg of zinc, along with echinacea to further promote immune system health. This is ideal for children who are often exposed to sick children like at a daycare or school setting.
Cold and flu season might be far away, but building a strong immune system is what children need to do year-long to prevent the number of times they are sick themselves.