It’s bad enough when grown-ups use untested and unapproved supplements. But now, new research published in the journal Pediatrics found a surprisingly high rate of herbal supplement use among infants. The 2005 to 2007 study suggests that the prevalence of such use (including herbal teas) in the U.S. was between 3 and 10 percent. Although side effects were, curiously, not examined, the authors of the study say there’s a potential for harm, given that the supplements aren’t strictly regulated. ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross agrees that giving babies supplements is quite risky because of the lack of regulation pertaining to the purity, or even the identity, of supplement ingredients and the fact that supplements have never been shown to have any health benefit to anyone. “Since the likelihood of benefit is so remote, why risk it with your infant?” wonders Dr. Ross.
ACSH's Dr. Josh Bloom finds it astounding that parents would give their children something that has not been tested for safety or efficacy. Additionally, he wonders, “How many of these parents are the same ones who fail to vaccinate their kids due to now-debunked fears about vaccinations causing autism?” Certainly, at least a study examining any side-effects and hospitalizations associated with infants who are given such supplements seems in order.
