Helping Teenagers Build Strong Bones

Teenagers, both boys and girls, are in a prime position to build healthy bones. During the teen years, bone density is built up to its maximum level and by age 16, 80 percent of peak bone mass is reached. After 30 years of age, a gradual loss of bone begins, decreasing even more rapidly for women during menopause. Although osteoporosis does affect men, women are at a higher risk. They generally have about 30 percent less bone than men and experience greater bone loss during menopause when oestrogen levels drop. By age 80, a woman may have lost up to as much as two-thirds of her skeleton!

As each generation of teenagers gets taller, their leg bones are also becoming longer. Now, more than ever, it's important to ensure that these bones are strong enough to support their bodies throughout their lives. Weak, calcium-deficient bones lead to problems with hips and pelvises as well as painful fractures as people age. The key to preventing osteoporosis and other problems later in life is to build strong, healthy bones in the teenage years.

Despite the fact that the teen years are the best time for developing strong and healthy bones, most teenagers don’t get enough calcium. According to statistics from the US Department of Agriculture, only 13.5 percent of girls and 36.3 percent of boys age 12 to 19 in the United States get the recommended daily amount (RDA) of calcium. Just why this is the case is difficult to tell, but there are several obvious contributing factors, most of which parents can help do something about.

1. Parental/Guardian influence. In one New Zealand study, more than three-quarters of the participating children who habitually avoided milk had a family member who also avoided milk. This finding highlights the often-underestimated influence of role models on young people's nutrition.
   
   What parents can do: Be a positive role model and make sure you're getting plenty of calcium in your diet too. Encourage your teenager to drink a glass of milk at breakfast by doing the same.
   
   
   
   
2. The myth that '”dairy products are fattening”. Many adult Americans mistakenly remove dairy products from their diet when trying to lose weight, and teenage girls, and sometimes boys, are no different. At a particularly body-conscious age, many girls spend much of their teenage years dieting and skipping meals. If these diets involve missing breakfast or cutting out dairy products, their bones are heading for trouble. Contrary to the myth, in several studies researchers have found that regardless of how active female participants were, those who consumed higher levels of calcium lost more weight than those with low-calcium diets.
   
   What parents can do: Encourage your teenager to eat breakfast. A bowl of low-sugar cereal topped with milk, yogurt and fresh or tinned fruit, is a great start to the day. Alternatively, make them a smoothie to drink on the way to school. Offer teenagers low-fat dairy options; these usually contain an equal amount or more calcium per serve as full-fat products but still allow teenagers to watch their weight.
   
   
   
   
3. Low-carb dieting. With low-carbohydrate dieting comes the issue of avoiding milk and most dairy products due to the carbohydrate content. If teenagers are avoiding these products they are putting themselves at risk of osteoporosis later in life by building weak bones during their formation years.
   
   What parents can do: Encourage your teenager to eat a healthy balanced diet, rather than restrict certain foods. Help your child with weight issues by providing the whole family with nutritious, low-fat meals and encouraging participation in physical activity.
   
   
   
   
4. Soft drinks preferred over milk. Most teenagers tend to choose soft drinks and juices over milk. These other beverages are often high in calories or sugar compared with milk. Soft drinks don’t only fail teenagers on their calcium needs; it has also been shown that those who avoid milk tend to be more overweight than those who drink milk.
   
   What parents can do: Encourage your teenager to drink milk and flavored milk rather than soft drinks. Choose milk drinks that are reduced-fat and have the least added sugar or additives. Lactose-intolerant or vegan teenagers can choose calcium-enriched soy drinks - but make sure you shake them well first; the calcium tends to settle on the bottom. Some orange juices are also calcium-enriched.

As well as getting enough calcium in the diet, exercise during the teenage years has also been shown to be extremely important in building strong bones.

In a ten-year study involving over 80 teenage girls, the effects of exercise, calcium intake and oral contraceptives on bone strength were studied. It was found that exercise had the largest impact by far, with those girls who regularly participated in sport having significantly stronger bones. Increased activity creates forces on the bone that trigger increased bone density - a natural response to protect highly used bones by making them sturdier. Hence, it makes sense that kids who get more exercise will also have stronger bones.

However, this doesn’t mean that calcium intake is not important; study researchers were quick to point out that teens will also benefit from calcium.

Although the study involved females, the findings are more than likely to also be applicable to teenage boys.