University of Wisconsin - Extension

Between the ages of nine and nineteen, only one girl in five eats enough calcium now to prevent a crippling bone disease called osteoporosis when she is older. That statistic has many nutrition and medical experts predicting a major increase in osteoporosis in the future.

"We are concerned because osteoporosis is on the rise in the country," said Amy Rettammel, nutrition outreach specialist for University of Wisconsin-Extension. "At the same time, calcium consumption is declining in the group that has a short window of time to add calcium to their bones"

Currently, 10 million American adults have osteoporosis and experts predict the number will reach 41 million by the year 2015.

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that affects both men and women although it is more common and debilitating among women. It occurs because the human body's ability to store calcium in bones diminishes as we grow older. After the age of 30, people start to lose calcium from their bones. If enough calcium is lost, the bones become weak and fragile. The condition results in fractures and pain. For people over 50, a serious fracture may lead to death. Currently, 50 percent of women and about 12 percent of men over the age of 50 will have an osteoporosis-related bone fracture in their lifetime.

"It's important for young people to get enough calcium in their teens and early 20s because that's when they are banking the calcium their bodies will draw on later in life," Rettammel said. "The more they have in the bank, the better off they'll be later."

According to the Food Guide Pyramid recommendations, children between the ages of 9 and 18 should have 1,300 milligrams of calcium - the equivalent of about four eight ounce glasses of milk -- each day. However, only 19 percent of girls and 52 percent of boys in that age group meet the recommendation. Children aged 2 to 8 are more likely to get enough calcium - 79 percent of girls and 89 percent of boys do.

Food surveys show that older children and teens are drinking more carbonated soft drinks and fruit drinks and avoiding milk and milk products, which are the richest sources of dietary calcium. Weight-conscious teens may avoid milk products because they think it is fattening. However nearly all milk products are available in non-fat or low-fat varieties, and contain equal or greater amounts of calcium than full-fat varieties.

Milk is not the only source of dietary calcium. Dry beans and certain vegetables such as broccoli and kale contain significant amounts of calcium, too, but you'd need to eat about eight cups of kale to get the same amount of calcium as in one cup of milk. Other sources of calcium are calcium-fortified soy milk, tofu and orange juice. The advantage of dairy sources is that milk also contains other valuable nutrients - protein, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and Vitamin D that may be missing in other calcium sources.

"Physical activity is also important for developing and maintaining strong, healthy bones," Rettammel said. "Children and teens, as well as adults, should be getting at least 60 minutes of moderately intense, weight-bearing activity every day because research shows that this kind of exercise builds and maintains bone mass."

Rettammel has some tips for young people who want to make sure they are doing all they can for their bones:

*Aim for 3 servings from the milk, yogurt, and cheese group of the Food Guide Pyramid each day. Smaller amounts of calcium found in many other foods add up as well, so be sure you are eating from all of the food groups every day.

*Think about calcium when you grab a snack. Choose string cheese, a cup of yogurt, pudding, broccoli with yogurt dip, ice milk or ice frozen yogurt.

*Eat breakfast: pour milk on your breakfast cereal. Drink some calcium-fortified orange juice.

*Instead of grabbing soda, drink water when you are thirsty.

*When eating out, choose low fat milk or even a milk shake instead of soda when you want a liquid snack or a beverage to go with your fast food meal.

*Choose a grilled cheese sandwich instead of a hamburger.

*Go out and play. Do something active after school. Activities like karate class or a game of Frisbee with friends build strong bones while you have fun.

For more information about building strong bones, Rettammel suggests two websites and a fact sheet series.

*http://www.cdc.gov/powerfulbones"> http://www.cdc.gov/powerfulbones (Centers for Disease Control) is designed especially for girls. The site has colorful graphics, interactive games and activities, tips and recipes.

*http://www.nichd.nih.gov/milk"> http://www.nichd.nih.gov/milk (National Institutes of Health) contains educational and informational resources of interest to both adults and older youth.

*UW-Extension's "Getting Enough Calcium" fact sheet series (B3707-1 through B3707-3) from your county UW-Extension office, http://www1.uwex.edu/ces/cty"> http://www1.uwex.edu/ces/cty.

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