Calcium, Strong Bones & Osteoporosis

Calcium plays a critical role in building strong and healthy bones. Low calcium consumption and inadequate weight-bearing exercise contribute to osteoporosis, the weakening of the bone that can occur late in adulthood and causes 1.5 million bone fractures a year. About 10 million Americans have osteoporosis. In addition, an estimated 41 million Americans may develop osteoporosis or low bone mass by 2015 unless steps are taken to prevent, detect, and treat the disease.

Two important factors that influence the incidence of osteoporosis are peak bone mass attained during the first two to three decades of life and the rate at which bone is lost in the later years.3 Childhood and adolescence are critical periods for bone development because most bone mass accumulates during this time. By the time adolescents finish their "growth spurt" around the age of 17, approximately 90% of their adult bone mass will have been established. Bones then continue to grow more dense until around age 30, when peak bone mass is reached. At this point, bone mass and density may remain steady, or bone loss may begin to occur at a rate of up to about 1% per year.

NICHD believes that osteoporosis is a pediatric preventable disease. A recent NICHD-supported study found that supplementing the diets of girls, age 12-16, with 500 mg of calcium citrate-malate produced a 14% increase in bone density in comparison to unsupplemented girls. The implications of this increase are striking: for every 5% increase, the risk of fracture later in life declines by 40%. However, subsequent study has shown that without continued supplementation at this level, the difference in the bone densities of the two groups becomes indistinguishable.4 Therefore, adequate growth, development, and maintenance of the skeletal system requires continuing calcium intake over a lifetime.

Unfortunately, most children and teens do not meet the dietary calcium recommendations that can help build maximum bone mass and protect against osteoporosis. Half of all children under five and about 85% of females age 12-19 do not meet the 1989 Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for calcium. And even fewer of these children and adolescents could attain the government's new guidelines, the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), set in 1997 (see Table 1).

These new guidelines set Adequate Intake (AI) values for calcium designed to lead to the fewest diet-related osteoporotic fractures later in life. Prior to the DRIs, optimal levels of calcium were recommended by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Conference in 1994 and were slightly higher for most age groups. Parents should ensure that their children and teens get enough calcium and weight-bearing exercise to help them reach their maximum bone density.

Content Courtesy : www.nichd.nih.gov
^{Note : Information herein is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use this information for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. If you have or suspect you have a medical problem, promptly contact your professional healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider before beginning any course of supplementation or treatment.}