Food Supplements Not Required For Children's Growth, Says Expert

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- Food supplements are not encouraged, especially for children, says the president of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia, Dr Tee E Siong. Dr Tee, a nutritionist with over 30 years of experience in research and the public health arena, said there were no evidence to show that a child's growth required extra nutrition from food supplements, but a balanced diet would suffice. "Parents don't realise that giving their children excessive food supplements could result in toxins accumulating in the liver," he said when met after a seminar on 'Updates on Food Consumption of Young Children: Implications for Future Guidelines and Actions', here, on Wednesday. Dr Tee said most parents were still confused about their children's bodily needs to the extent of thinking that giving them food supplements would make them smarter and more active. The seminar was held to discuss the findings of a study on children's nutrition by researchers from the International Medical University and Universiti Putra Malaysia in collaboration with Danone Dumex (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. Dr Tee said it was not wrong to give children food supplements, but wrong for parents to think that food supplements were good enough to replace their children's breakfast and lunch. "This is a bad habit and not good for their children's growth. If their children are active and can run about, why the need to give them food supplements?" he said. -- BERNAMA