Just a few days ago as I was going to give a multi-vitamin for infants/toddlers from a well-known brand. Out of curiosity, I checked the ingredient. To my horror I noticed that this particular brand has polysorbate 80 (emulsifier) in it. This is terrible because if anything this particular ingredient shouldn’t be in any products for very young children, especially for something as ubiquitous as vitamins.
This is also especially important for people who follow strict diet and want to avoid corns in their diet, polysorbates is derived from corn.
Polysorbates 20 and 80 are the most frequently used excipients in biotherapeutics, the safety data for which have been well documented in adults. The polysorbate content in therapeutic formulations that are administered to children, however, has been less clearly regulated or defined with regard to safety. In pediatric patients, excessive amounts of polysorbate in biotherapeutics have been linked to hypersensitivity and other toxicity-related effects.
National Library of Medicine
While we don’t know the whole deal with this substance I think it’s prudent to minimize our children’s exposure to it especially for something taken regularly such as vitamin supplements.
Not to create unnecessary panic here, but if your kids do not have any health issues, it may be safe to take without any effect. But again the considerations here is this product is marketed for infants. As for us, since we’ve already been dealing with eczema issues, we discontinued using the product. At least for now.
References
Pediatric Safety of Polysorbates in Drug Formulations
Polysorbate 80 in medical products and nonimmunologic anaphylactoid reactions
Polysorbate, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
How to Avoid Corn
The information on this web site is provided for entertainment purposes only; it is a general reference for healthcare consumers and providers; it is not a prescription for any individual person. It is important that you consult your child’s qualified healthcare provider before implementing any of the research discussed on this web site.
Disclaimer: This is based solely on our experience and should not be treated as medical advice. You should always consult your doctor(s) with any medical or health concerns before starting any new diet, products or supplements.
