Use of dietary supplements for children

Abstract

Dietary supplements are foodstuffs the purpose of which is to supplement the normal diet and which are concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect, marketed in dose forms (capsules, tablets, drops of liquid, etc) designed to be taken in measured small unit quantities. This food category is well regulated in USA, while in EU harmonization of the laws on food supplements of member states is not finished yet. In our regulations there is no category of dietary supplements and they are classified according to the quantities of nutrients other as dietetic foods or as drugs. Dietary supplements for children are specially prepared, concerning both specific composition and adequate pharmaceutical formulation. Information and education of parents about constituents of these products, as well as of importance of supplementation of particular nutrients is very important that they can, alone or with the help of pharmacist, choose most adequate dietary supplements that can fulfill specific nutritional requirements of their child.

Dijetetski suplementi su namirnice koje dopunjuju normalnu ishranu i predstavljaju koncentrovane izvore nutrijenata (vitamina, minerala i drugih supstanci sa hranljivim ili fiziološkim efektom), a u prometu su u doziranim farmaceutskim oblicima dizajnirane da se uzimaju u odmerenim pojedinačnim količinama (kapsule, tablete, kapi i si). Ova kategorija namirnica je detaljno regulisana u SAD 1994. godine, a u EU harmonizacija propisa zemalja članica o dijetetskim suplementima još nije završena. U našoj regulativi ne postoji kategorija dijetetskih suplemenata. U zavisnosti od sadržaja vitamina, minerala ili drugih nutrimenata svrstavaju se u dijetetske namirnice, pomoćna lekovita sredstva ili terapeutska sredstva. Dijetetski suplementi za odojčad i decu su posebno pripremljeni u pogledu specifičnog sastava hranljivih sastojaka i u pogodnom farmaceutskom obliku prilagođenom uzrastu, da bi deca mogla lako da ih konzumiraju. Potrebno je da roditelji budu dovoljno edukovani i pravimo informisani o sastojcima preparata i značaju suplementacije pojedinih nutrimenata da bi sami ili uz pomoć farmaceuta u apoteci mogli da odaberu dijetetske suplemente koji će najadekvatnije da zadovolji specifične potrebe njihovog deteta.