| Regular
intake of adequate amounts of Calcium in childhood
is the secret of attaining peak bone mass. However,
today we find older children and adolescents in the
United States not achieving this. In fact, a diminishing
Calcium intake is found among children as they grow
up. National Survey data confirms that the majority
of U.S. children above 8 years of age do not get the
recommended Calcium intake. Moreover, the US Department
of Agriculture tells us that -
- 71 percent of girls and 62 percent of boys
between 6 to 11 years of age do not meet their
Calcium recommendations.
- Among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years, 88 percent
of females and 68 percent of males do not attain
Calcium recommendations.
(Blame it in part the teenagers'
preferences for soft drinks over dairy products!)
The need for Calcium in different age groups is not
uniform; it varies from child to child and with the
stages of a child's development. Recommendations of
the American Academy of Pediatrics on
Adequate Dietary Calcium Intake are shown in this
table:
| Ages |
Recommended
Calcium intake ( mg / day ) |
| 0 – 6 months |
210 |
| 7 – 12 months |
270 |
| 1 – 3 years |
500 |
| 4 – 8 years |
800 |
| 9 – 18 years |
1300 |
| 19 – 50
years |
1000 |
| 50 - >
70 years |
1200 |
Recent information shows that for
infants Calcium intake is more or less sufficient
in United States . However, Calcium intake declines
as children grow up, because of their decreasing consumption
of dairy products (the major source of Calcium).
It was found that:
- Only 36 percent of girls and 47 percent of boys
aged 6 to 11 years consume the recommended number
of servings of Milk Group foods.
- Among adolescents between 12 to19, only 11 percent
of females and 28 percent of males are found attaining
the recommended number of servings of Milk Group
foods.
Milk (250-300 mg of Calcium per 8
fluid ounces) provides about 25 percent of the daily
requirement of Calcium. Milk and other dairy products
are the greatest sources of dietary Calcium for majority
of the U.S. population, providing about 72 percent
of the Calcium in the food supply of the country.
The children in our country derive 65 percent of their
dietary Calcium solely from dairy products.
A look at the table below tells us
that dairy products provide most of the Calcium supply.
Percentage of Calcium U.S. children
derive from different food sources
|
Food Groups
|
Percentage of Calcium
|
|
Children |
Young Children |
Male Teens |
Female Teens |
|
2-18 years |
2-5 years |
6-11 years |
12-18 years |
12-18 years |
| Milk |
51.5 |
58.9 |
53.6 |
46.1 |
43.4 |
| Cheese |
14.3 |
10.8 |
13.2 |
16.5 |
18.9 |
| Yeast Bread |
6.8 |
5.7 |
6.5 |
7.6 |
7.7 |
| Ice-Cream/ Sherbet/
Frozen Yoghurt |
3.0 |
2.5 |
2.9 |
3.8 |
2.9 |
| Cakes/Cookies/Quick
Breads/Donuts |
2.3 |
1.7 |
2.2 |
2.7 |
2.6 |
| Pancakes/Waffles/
French Toast |
2.1 |
1.8 |
2.0 |
2.9 |
1.6 |
| Ready-to-Eat
Cereal |
1.3 |
1.5 |
1.3 |
1.5 |
0.9 |
| Fruit Drinks |
1.2 |
1.5 |
1.1 |
1.1 |
1.3 |
If your child is sensitive to milk
or milk products, i.e. lactose intolerant, your child
could acquire enough Calcium from Calcium-fortified
products (fruit juices, bakery products, instant oatmeal,
etc.). You can insure this Calcium supply using CAL-SAP™.
Another study shows the actual Calcium uptake of children
as well as adults in different age groups and by gender.
| |
1977-1978 |
1994-1996 |
| All Individuals,
2 years and older |
22
mg |
25
mg |
| Children, between
2 to 17 years |
37
mg |
37
mg |
| Adults, 18 years
and older |
15
mg |
21
mg |
| Male Adults,
60 years and older |
11mg |
16
mg |
| Female
Adults, 60 years and older |
4
mg |
6
mg |
This table shows that Children get
more Calcium than adults, although it is still insufficient
and we are far from the recommended amounts. Older
adults receive severely insufficient calcium, with
females over 60 showing an alarming deficiency of
calcium uptake (only 6mg).
This would not be such a problem now if today's adults
had been trained early on as children that Calcium
is an important nutritional component. You can make
a difference now for your children's future by teaching
them healthy habits regarding Calcium in their nutrition
and the benefits of Calcium supplements.
Sources:
1 Optimizing Bone Health and Calcium Intakes
of Infants, Children and Adolescents; Frank R. Greer,
MD, Nancy F. Krebs, MD Committee on Nutrition, Pediatrics;
Vol. 117, No. 2, February 2006, pp. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org
2 Calcium from Other Foods; Milk Matters; National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development; National
Institutes of Health http://www.nichd.nih.gov/milk/prob/other_foods.cfm
3 Milk and Calcium; Milk Matters; Dietary Guidelines
for Americans; National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development; National Institutes of Health
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/milk/prob/milk_cal.cfm
4 Overweight, yet Undernourished; The Children's Health
Paradox; http://www.eatsmart.org/client_images/gd20052171242391.pdf
5 Calcium, Kids and Bones; by Christine Berman
http://www.leapfrog.com
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