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Why
is Childhood Calcium Intake Important?
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This article reviews
research literature to determine the importance of calcium intake in childhood.
(1) Osteoporosis: This affects men and
women over age 50 but is known as 'the pediatric disease with geriatric
consequences'. Peak bone mass is accumulated during the first two decades
of life and calcium intake is one of the most important determining factors.
(2) Hypertension: Calcium intake at recommended levels, in combination
with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, is now thought to help prevent
and treat moderate hypertension. (3) Obesity: Dairy products have been
found to have favorable effects on the body weight of children and adults.
Women with the highest calcium intakes have an 80% lower risk of being
in the highest quartile of body fatness. Milk intake increases the effectiveness
of weight-reduction programs. Dairy-rich diets seem to be more effective
than other calcium-rich diets for reducing body-weight.
Trends in calcium intake show that soft drinks may be replacing more nutritious
beverages like milk and fruit juices. If children were consuming adequate
calcium from cheese and calcium-fortified foods, that would be good, but
a majority are not meeting current dietary guidelines. School lunches
have been shown to be excellent sources of calcium, among other important
nutrients. Those consuming school breakfasts have higher consumption of
calcium than those who only have school lunch.
Calcium fortified foods are excellent supplements, but should never be
chosen at the expense of foods with natural calcium. This is because the
bio-availability of calcium from these foods is unknown and because there
is a potential that one may be able to over-consume calcium when ingesting
supplements or fortified foods. Furthermore, fortifying foods with large
quantities of calcium may adversely affect the body's utilization of other
nutrients, such as iron, zinc, and magnesium because the balance of these
nutrients in fortified foods is quite different from the balance in milk
and other natural products. There is a fear among lactose intolerant individuals
that dairy product consumption will produce gastrointestinal symptoms.
In fact, a majority of those with low lactose levels can ingest at least
8 ounces of milk at a meal and even 16 oz per day - without symptoms.
Consuming lactose is best tolerated when it is consumed along with other
foods, when consumed as whole-fat (not low-fat), and when flavored with
chocolate versus plain).
(Nicklas TA. J Am Coll Nutrit 22(5):340-356.)
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