Teens’ vitamin use

Executive Summary

Teenagers who take a daily multivitamin have a healthier diet and lifestyle than those who do not, according to a study in the December Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Lindsay Reaves, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, et al., analyzed data on height, weight, diet and health behaviors of more than 2,500 high school seniors as part of the fourth Child & Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) study. The researchers found 25% of the teens reported taking a daily MVM supplement. Females are more likely than males to take vitamins and whites are more likely than minorities. Teens using MVMs also had a healthier diet, reflected by an overall "food index score." The third CATCH study in 1997 found 17.6% of 1,532 eighth-graders from California, Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas took a vitamin and/or mineral supplement (1"The Tan Sheet" Nov. 26, 2001, p. 20)...