Originally published February 7 2006
Nutrition is vital to maintaining bone health in kids
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Orlando Sentinel features an article by Hilary Waldman that focuses on how nutrition impacts the bone health of children.
Although osteoporosis is often associated with older women, researchers have discovered that the condition, which weakens bones and can lead to crippling fractures later in life, has its roots in childhood and adolescence.
"Bone is like a retirement plan," says Dr. Sevket Yigit, medical director of the Kids' Center for Bone Health at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center.
"The bone built up in adolescence and during puberty, that's what you get."
Before age 19, boys and girls build 90 percent of their adult bone mass.
The rest is established in the 20s and early 30s.
By the time women reach their mid-30s, their bone mass starts to decline.
For healthy children, the key to building stronger bones can be as simple as drinking more milk and getting more vitamin D, from the sun or a daily multivitamin.
But although calcium and vitamin D are most critical for preteen and teenage girls, only one in five girls age 9 to 19 gets enough, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
About half of preteen and teenage boys get the calcium and vitamin D they need, says the government agency.
"The most dramatic calcium retention is during puberty," says Dr. Karen Rubin, director of pediatric endocrinology at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center, who has been studying children's bones for 20 years.
The regular application of sunscreen, vital for protecting the skin against aging and skin cancer, also has the negative side effect of blocking vitamin D absorption.
Dr. Catherine Gordon of Boston Children's Hospital, recommends that children eat two or three servings of dairy products a day, depending on their age, and take a multivitamin with 400 I.U. of vitamin D.
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