Dr. Sushil Jain, a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at LSU Health Shreveport, has been awarded a three-year, $1.52 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a project entitled Optimization of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D levels in African-Americans.

According to the 2011 Iowa Women’s Health Study, multivitamin supplements may be associated with increased total mortality risk for older women. The study examined 38,772 older women, with an average age of 61.6 years old. Iron had the most significance in increasing total mortality risk.

It sounds like a good idea to buy lots of vitamins to help be the first defense against nasty colds and viruses, but parents could be doing more harm than good if they are not selecting the right vitamin or supplement that their child actually needs..