Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Summer 2008)

Of all the health concerns parents have for their children, osteoporosis doesn’t usually make the list—but there’s growing evidence that it should.  

“We’ve known for a long time that life-long bone health is largely established through childhood and adolescence,” says Bruce Cooper, medical director for the Health District. “But because kids have now changed the critical behavior that establishes that bone health, it has becoming more of a concern. By drinking less milk, staying inside more and not exercising, children are putting themselves at risk for osteoporosis later in life.”  

Since nearly half of a person’s peak bone mass develops during adolescence, not building the strongest bones possible as a child could cause problems down the road. Today’s youth are getting below the recommended amount of calcium, Vitamin D (which is formed through exposure to sunlight) and exercise—posing a triple threat to the long-term health of their bones. 

Concern has prompted researchers to begin a long-term study of bone mass growth in children in hopes of establishing developmental standards similar to those applied to height and weight.

What is already known is that children need more calcium in their diets. The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine found that only 10 percent of girls and 25 percent of boys between ages 9 and 17 get an adequate amount of calcium in their diet.

Children ages 1 to 3 should get 500 milligrams of elemental calcium a day. Children 4 to 8 should get 800 milligrams and adolescents 9 to 18 should get 1,300 milligrams of calcium a day. An 8 oz. glass of milk has 300 milligrams.

“It’s difficult to decipher from nutrition labels how much calcium is in a food,” says Dianne Moeller, Health District registered dietitian. “Since the percentage is usually based on a 1,000 milligram diet, add a zero to get the number of milligrams.

“For example, if a label that says a food has 30 percent of the daily recommended amount of calcium that means it has 300 milligrams.

Moeller reminds parents that calcium isn’t the only piece of the bone health puzzle. Also important to the building of bone are adequate protein, zinc, vitamin C, Vitamin K and B-12. 

Vitamin D is crucial because it helps regulate the amount of calcium in the blood. It is often added to milk and also is produced by the body in response to sunlight.

“Get outside and get some exercise,” Cooper says. “The stress exercise puts on the skeletal system stimulates growth. Basically the things that children should be doing for their overall health are also good for the long-term health of their bones.”