Aim: To investigate whether micronutrient supplements shown through research to have perceived benefits in the treatment of psychological/psychiatric symptoms in children have similar vitamin ingredients and doses to over-the-counter dietary supplements.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review to identify studies that used micronutrients for the treatment of psychological/psychiatric symptoms in children with documented benefits; 13 different supplements were identified that included vitamin ingredients. They were compared with the vitamin composition of 22 over-the-counter child-targeted supplements available in New Zealand.
Results: The vitamin ingredients were comparable across the research and commercially available supplements. However, the median vitamin daily doses in research supplements were found to be greater than those of over-the-counter supplements, with most mean differences being significant, including vitamins B1, B3, B6, B7, B12, C and D (p<0.05), B5 and B9 (p<0.001), but not vitamins A or B2.
Conclusions: Micronutrient supplements found to show potential benefit in research with a focus on improving psychological/psychiatric symptoms in children have a significantly greater vitamin dose than over-the-counter supplements. Therefore, the results found in micronutrient research studies cannot be extrapolated to over-the-counter supplements. Comparing the myriad ingredients and dosages in micronutrient supplements is, however, a complex process and further investigation is required to understand fully the importance of our findings.