Children need to deposit plenty of calcium in their bone banks. This is especially important for later years when osteoporosis or “brittle bones” can become a problem. Bone strength and resistance to fracture depend on the amount of bone mineral in the bones. Building up enough bone by early adulthood is the number-one key to preventing osteoporosis in adults. Having enough bone mineral density also prevents bone fractures in children and teenagers.
Childhood and adolescence are the two most important times for building bone mass. Kids need a lot of vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus as their bones grow. However, many kids do not get even the minimum amount of these nutrients in their diets. This is becoming a national problem. In fact, the National Health Institute (NIH) has said that low calcium intake is now a major health concern.
New technology may help researchers suggest ways to deal with this problem. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is now able to measure bone density. This helps researchers understand how bone is made and stored. Researchers want to measure healthy children of all ages to determine normal bone measurements. This is called the baseline and can be used to compare bone measurements among children. That way, it will be easier to tell which kids have low bone density and are at risk for fracture or osteoporosis.
Researchers are raising the following questions to help find ways to combat the problem of low bone density among children and adolescents:
- Does taking calcium supplements increase bone density?
- Does calcium supplementation need to happen before a certain age?
- Does calcium improve the amount of bone mineral in all bones or just certain ones?
- Are there other steps that can be taken to help build bones and prevent bone loss before adulthood?
- Are boys different from girls in the timing and amount of calcium needed?
Time and future research are needed to answer these questions. For now, we know that many children in the U.S. are not getting enough calcium in their diets. Further discoveries will make it possible for doctors to tell which children are at risk for bone loss and fracture. Building bone during childhood is essential to kids’ health, both now and in the future.