Question on supplements for kids

[Troy Rodriguez]

Hey guys I have a question on supplements for my kids.

I have a 9yr old girl and a 15yr old boy. Both are big into competitive cheer and tumbling. They are also getting into full blown gymnastics very soon.

What I want to know is what I should be getting them in regards to Multivitamins, Fish Oil, Creatine for the boy? Is there something else I should be getting them on board with so that they can remain healthy and not inflamed or injured nutrition wise?

[Joshua Naterman]

Multivitamins are very important, but keep them on kids multivitamins until they are big enough for adult. There should be guidelines. Your 15 year old is almost certainly going to be fine with adult multivitamins, but something like the Animal Pak is the best thing for a serious athlete who is old enough. It's just multivitamins and some ginsing, essentially, but it is very easily absorbed by the body. It IS a lot of pills, so that could be an issue, but they work great. The reason I mention the difference between kids vitamins and others is that kids can OD on certain vitamins(I don't remember the specifics, it's been too long) at adult dosages. It is literally a few specific vitamins and possibly minerals that are the issue, and you can find out about them by searching on google.

Neither of them should have any problem with fish oil, but I'd suggest you PM Ido and ask him about the dosages for the girl. Pretty much everything you take is dependant on body size to some extent, so that will change things a bit. It will absolutely help with recovery and injury avoidance when taken in concert with a well-balanced training program.

As for other supplements, protein, BCAA, Glutamine, and creatine are the only supplements that boy should be using. The single most important supplement is sleep! The girl will probably benefit from pre/post workout protein and BCAA, as these are quite literally found in whole foods and are not dependant on hormonal intervention or anything else and the boy can take them all. I don't think any research has been done on pre-adolescents and creatine so i would say no for the girl. Besides, it's going to be a long time before she even grows into her adult body, and until then she's not going to be able to reach her maximum athletic potential, so until she's 15-16 there's not really a great reason to take anything but fish oil and protein/amino acids. They'll help with post-workout adaptation but won't have any detrimental effects if she doesn't already have some sort of medical issue. You should absolutely have full blood work-ups done on them both before doing anything. Stomach acid tests, mineral levels, the works, just to make sure everything is optimal. If it isn't, fix it! None of this is medical advice, merely opinion on my part. It should be noted that there really haven't been any studies done that have shown whole foods to be inferior to liquid protein supplements. They are simply more convenient and often more quickly absorbed. I think Coach will tell you, and I certainly don't disagree, that there's really no reason for you or your little girl to be worrying about supplements right now. Having good, high protein meals with plenty of veggies right after the workout is the best thing.

If the boy's getting hard into the competitive stuff, he's old enough to start really straining his body unless he is still expected to grow. If his growth plates aren't closing up yet I would perhaps wait on the creatine until they start. There are a LOT of teenage athletes taking creatine, and they do benefit from it. There have been no incidences of anyone getting hurt with it, unless you count those few kids who had undiagnosed heart conditions. They would most likely have had complications regardless of supplementation status. The reason you'd want to wait until growth plates start closing to really get into creatine supplementation is that creatine seems to positively affect calcium retention, which is great for bone strength but could *possibly* lead to premature calcification of the growth plates. That's not likely, but why risk it?

Before you try and get them into supplementation, first optimize their daily routines, training, and nutrition. After all that, it should still be up to them. If for some reason they are against it, trying to force it will just have a negative effect on either their relationship with you or possibly their outlook on their sport, and maybe both. It's always good to explain what's out there, what the pros and cons are, and to let the kids make intelligent and informed decisions within safe guidelines.

The vitamins should be non-negotiable, but if your boy doesn't like the Animal Paks let him choose something else! Nothing does any good of they won't use it.

[Troy Rodriguez]

Thanks for all that information again.

I should have clarified about my little girl...For her all I was expecting to give her was one Fish Oil pill, a kid multi vitamin, and protein after her workouts. She trains very hard 4 days a week and her nutrition is good whole foods most of the time.

I think for the time being I will stick to the same for my son as well though a bit more Fish Oil and maybe some Creatine as well for a cycle just to see his reaction to it. pretty sure he is close to dne growing as he is already my height and towering over his mom.

Mostly interested in the kids multi since I don't even know where to start looking for quality product. Just because they say "For Kids" on the label does not mean I want my kid to take it. If anyone has a brand they would suggest let me know. I will look into Animal Pack in the mean time.

Thanks again.

[Jason Stein]

Taenkarth,

For what it's worth, I don't bother with a multi for my 6-year-old as she tends to eat mostly Paleo, at least as much as a 6-year-old is able given her social conditions.

However, she does take fish oil (and hates it), and as we live in a more northern latitude, vitamin D drops.

best

jason

[Joshua Naterman]

Jason's got a good point. If she is eating a diet that takes her through the rainbow once a week, so to speak, she's pretty good.

Still, the flintstones complete kids multivitamins are great. They come in gummies and chewables, so they're easy to take and pretty tasty! Make sure you read the back of the bottle and give her the right amount for her size.

[Troy Rodriguez]

Thanks for the responses!

[Gregor]

One more thing: ENOUGH SLEEP, we all know nowdays childern all to late on a computer especialy on MSN and facebook....

Animal Pak can be a probllem, some pills are HUGE

[Troy Rodriguez]

Yeah our teenager is having issues sleeping through the night so I am going to dose him with about 200-300mg of Magnesium for a few days and see if that helps out. They are both getting blood panels in August. Until then i think this should be a good start.

Yeah looked at the Animal Pack and some of them do look huge! Daughter is having a real bad time trying to take the Fish Oil pills too. Gonna need to find a better method for her as she hates the taste of fish oil....She LOVES Sushi though. :roll:

[Jason Stein]

Taenkarth,

We've tried straight fish oil, fish oil pills, kid's chewable fish oil, and flavored fish oil. The flavored fish oil has gone over the best, but even then, she is not psyched.

Sleep is a big one, but getting a 6-year-old to sleep at 8 p.m. is much easier than dealing with a teen.

There's a book called "Nurtureshock" (which is dreadfully written) that deals with the consequences of sleep deprivation on kids and teens; it also presents some interesting solutions with measurable results. It might be worth a trip to the library.

Perhaps you could consider a zinc and magnesium supplement --- Now Supplements makes great ones for the price; the dosages of the Whole Foods or Trader Joe's brands are ridiculously low. Now also has third-party quality control. The zinc/magnesium can help sleep quality.

Of course, reducing or eliminating processed grains, flours and sugars would be tremendously helpful in reducing the production of nighttime cortisol. It's generally produced by the body in the morning, and its production in the evening often leads to a host of sleep disorders.

best,

jason

[Razz]

Animal Pak contains magnesium and zinc oxide.. I'm not into the physiology behind it but those are supposed to be the crappy forms..

[Joshua Naterman]

They are the elemental forms. The body absorbs true chelates better.

For the fish oil, you could try the Barleans brand. They have a 3rd party tested orange-flavored high potency fish oil that is very tasty and fairly cheap. It is liquid, so it kind of tastes like orange syrup when you remember to shake it up first! You'll have to keep it in the fridge, but it's small and a great deal. Personally, I really like it. By far the best bang for the buck I have found, and it seems to be extremely well purified.