As a parent, I know that getting kids to eat right is no small task. Many of the foods marketed to children are highly processed, loaded with sugar, fat, and calories, and devoid of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Consequently, far too many of our youngsters are on shaky nutritional footing.

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), only a very small percentage of American children eat a good diet (20 percent of 2- to 6-year-olds, 8 percent of 7- to 12-year-olds, and 4 percent of 13- to 18-year-olds). Other surveys show that 69 percent of toddlers under age 2 eat candy or dessert and 44 percent drink sweetened beverages on a daily basis. No wonder so many boys and girls have inadequate intake of several essential nutrients.

I firmly believe that all children should take a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement. While nutritional supplements are no replacement for a good diet, they do a heck of a job of filling dietary “gaps” and ensuring adequate intake of iron, iodine, zinc, B-complex vitamins, magnesium, calcium, antioxidants, and other nutrients that play crucial roles in optimal growth and development.

In addition to a daily multi, I also recommend docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplements. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid that comprises a quarter of the total fat in the brain. A vital constituent of robust cellular membranes and myelin (which insulates and protects neurons and speeds up electrical transmissions), DHA also turns on genes that signal the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a growth factor that plays a key role in learning and memory.

Breast milk is an excellent source of DHA, which is one reason why children who are breastfed score higher on IQ tests than their bottle-fed peers. (The FDA finally got smart a few years ago and approved the addition of DHA-supplemented formula.) But toddlers and older kids often shy away from DHA-rich fish. The only surefire way to make certain they get enough is to supplement with DHA.

Look in your health food store for a children’s daily supplement that contains a broad range of essential vitamins and minerals and take as directed, based on your child’s age. The suggested dose of DHA is 100 mg a day from age six months to four years, 150 mg from four to six years, and 300 mg for children seven and older. (It is available in liquid and capsule form.)

If you have type 2 diabetes, avoid this drug like the plague. Diet, exercise, weight loss, and targeted nutritional supplements are the best way to control blood sugar. And to protect against diabetic complications, nothing beats nutritional supplements. Approximately 40 percent of people with diabetes have a gene variation (haptoglobin (Hp) 2-2 gene) that increases oxidative stress and doubles or triples their risk of cardiovascular disease. Israeli researchers found that when these people took 400 IU of vitamin E daily, their risk of cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, and death fell by 50 percent! Vitamin E’s benefits were so profound the study was terminated early so all study participants could benefit.

Genetic tests are available, but my recommendation to anyone with diabetes is to take at least 400 IU of natural vitamin E every day. In fact, because other studies suggest that this vitamin protects against the onset of diabetes, I encourage everyone, regardless of health status, to take natural vitamin E.

The Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010 would require registration and extensive reporting by any business engaged in “manufacturing, packaging, holding, distributing, labeling, or licensing” of supplements. This includes everyone from large manufacturers to people who sell multilevel products out of their homes. Failure to comply would be a violation of the law.

This bill would also make it easier for the FDA to remove supplements from the market. A list of “Accepted Dietary Ingredients” would be prepared, and if a nutrient didn’t make the list, it would be banned. It would also be easier for the FDA to outlaw any supplement with even a suspicion of potential harm. Furthermore, there are no safeguards to protect against abuses of these extensive powers—a real concern with this bureaucracy, which is openly hostile towards nutritional supplements.

Quite a few individuals and organizations are jumping on this bandwagon. After all, isn’t it all about safety and protecting the public? Wrong. Supplements are among the safest of all consumer products. The American Association of Poison Control Centers in their 2008 annual report did not attribute even one death to a nutritional supplement. Compare this to the 100,000 deaths per year caused by prescription drugs. These guys should be going after pharmaceutical companies instead of the supplement industry.

Current laws are perfectly adequate to ensure supplement safety. Let’s not invite in more unnecessary government red tape. Contact your U.S. Senators and encourage urge them to oppose the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010. To learn more and to email your Senators on this very important issue, visit anh-usa.org.