Breakfast cereals may pose serious health risks to children because of too much vitamins, a new report found.

The report, released by health research organization, Environmental Working Group (EWG), found that fortified cereals may be the primary source of excessive vitamin intake among children since most nutritional information labels are computed based on adults' needs.

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Three vitamins that were specifically noted in the report were vitamin A, niacin and zinc.

While intake of adequate amounts of these vitamins helps maintain health and prevent disease, extreme ingestion could lead to potentially serious health issues over time.

For instance, too much vitamin A could lead to liver damage and skeletal abnormalities. Excessive niacin causes short term symptoms such as rashes, vomiting and nausea, and high zinc intake negatively impacts red and white blood cells and impair copper absorption and immune function, the report said.

Cereals' outdated nutritional package labels - which were set by the FDA in 1968 and haven't been updated since - show high fortification labels that made the products seem more nutritious and are "misleading to parents," said EWG research director Renee Sharp.

She noted that although the FDA is working on updating nutritional labels on food packages, it does not cover the recommended percent daily values for fortified nutrients that are based on adults.

The report calculated projections of over 10 million American children consuming vitamin A more than what was needed. At least 13 million are getting too much zinc, and almost 5 million are ingesting too much niacin.

Some of the cereals with high amounts of fortified nutrients mentioned in the report were Kellogg's Product 19 and General Mills Total Raisin Bran.

Meanwhile, Kellogg spokesman Kris Charles defended its product and claimed that the report "ignored a great deal of the nutrition science and consumption data" that children rarely get enough vitamins and minerals in their diets.

He added that majority of the cereals included in the study were "adult-oriented cereals not regularly consumed by children."

TagsScience, Fortified Cereals, FDA, Nutritional label, Environmental Working Group, EWG, Kellogg's, minerals, Nutrition