Should vitamins be avoided early in life?(Medication)

The September 5, 2004, issue of Parade, a magazine supplement in many major weekend newspapers, carried an article by Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld that may have prompted parents to wonder about the safety of vitamin supplements in young infants. The report cites a study that found that multivitamin supplements "may increase the risk of developing asthma and food allergy later in life" and tells readers that "you may want to discuss these findings with your pediatrician before giving multivitamin supplements to your baby." Because this report may be creating anxiety, we are reviewing the original article cited by Dr. Rosenfeld, below:

In an effort to see what might explain the recent increases in asthma and other allergic diseases, researchers from Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., examined data that was collected as follow-up on over 8,000 pregnant women and their newborns. Reviewing information on diet, the authors found that when vitamins were used during the first six months of life, rates of asthma were increased among black infants (but not among white infants), and use was also linked to higher rates of food allergies in infants who were fed only infant formula. And among infants who were using vitamins at age 3 years, they found higher risks of food allergies (but not asthma). The authors recognized that their findings did not prove that vitamin use caused these conditions, and they called for more careful research on the subject. (Milner JD et al: Pediatrics, 2004, pp. 27-32)

COMMENT: We don't think this study deserved the attention Parade magazine gave it. While there might have been ...