Sydney: (The Conversation) — Walk down any supermarket health aisle, and you'll find shelves filled with brightly packaged vitamin and mineral supplements for children, claiming to boost immunity, brain development, and growth. But are these supplements truly necessary?

Experts say that for most healthy children, a balanced diet provides all essential nutrients — vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K, as well as folate, calcium, iodine, iron, and zinc — needed for brain development, bone health, metabolism, and immunity. Common foods like breakfast cereals, milk, and bread are often fortified with these nutrients, ensuring adequate intake even for picky eaters.

While supplement makers promise better immunity or growth, scientific evidence shows little benefit for healthy children. Studies indicate that nutrients from whole foods are better absorbed and utilised than those from pills. Foods also contain fibre, enzymes, and bioactive compounds that supplements lack.

However, supplements are not without risks. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) can build up to toxic levels if consumed in excess, while high doses of other vitamins may cause side effects such as diarrhoea or nutrient absorption issues. Additionally, many children's supplements contain added sugars and artificial flavours, undermining healthy eating habits.

Experts caution that regularly giving supplements to fussy eaters may teach children to rely on pills instead of food. Instead, parents should focus on offering a diverse diet with dairy, meat, wholegrains, legumes, nuts, and colourful fruits and vegetables.

For children with diagnosed deficiencies, medical conditions, or restricted diets, supplementation may be advised — but only under professional guidance. For most children, however, vitamin supplements are unnecessary and could do more harm than good.