According to recent study, about one in three kids in the United States take daily dietary supplements be they in the form of multivitamins or multiminerals. However, doctors doubt the real beneficial results of these supplements.

The study was published in the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and shows an increasing number of parents that strongly believe in the effects of taking these daily pills, as adding extra nutrients to their children’s daily diet.

The research was conducted by Dr. David Katz, associate professor of Public Health at Yale University School of Medicine that analyzed data from the 1999 to 2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey which gathered information of over 10,000 children no older than 18.

Research found that although more than 30 percent of children take A, C or D, as well as calcium and iron based vitamins no proven benefits were reported as well as any kind of side effects.

Researchers found that supplement use was lowest among infants, increased in young children and then declined again in adolescents. Children aged 4 to 6 were most likely to take supplements.

Moreover, although dietary supplement use has increased among adults over the years, it has remained relatively constant among teenagers, and it has declined in children. About 50 percent of children took supplements in the 1970s, compared to about 30 percent today.

Part of the reason for this decline among children is due to improved infant formulas, which are now fortified with nutrients such as iron and vitamin D.

For some children, however, taking a multivitamin pill is recommended. Researchers found that skinny children are more likely to be given supplements than their chubbier peers are. For these children, a multivitamin can improve their health.

However, authors of the article note that even if this is no proven benefit, it is still important for pediatricians and dieticians to consider the extra nutrients especially since individual and national-level estimates of nutrient intake rarely account for them.