I mean milk, milk does a body good.
So we all know how healthy
soda is for us, right? Yet for some
reason, despite our knowledge of the consequences of sugary drinks, we continue
to consume it. The journal entry I am
posting about this week discusses lack of calcium in children because they are
drinking less milk and more soda-type beverages. The Journal of the American Medical
Association published a journal article on this issue in 2004.
The article is presented
with the title “Experts Urge Early Investment in Bone Health.” The issue being covered by author Tracy
Hampton (a PhD in the area of genetics from Stanford University) is a lack of
calcium in children resulting in fractures and osteoporosis. She notes, “about 10 million individuals in the
United States have been diagnosed as having osteoporosis.” (Hampton,
2004). These high numbers have been
linked to children not consuming enough calcium in their youth, as
approximately 90% of bone mass is developed during childhood. These individuals do not accumulate enough
bone mass for their bones to be healthy, and fractures occur. Hampton draws attention to the fact that
children need to pay more attention to their bones.
Supplements are being given
to children with low bone mass who are at risk for fractures and
osteoporosis. One supplement trial
Hampton mentions is that of a group of seven-year-old children who were given
“300 mg/d of calcium for 18 months and gained 17.9% more bone mineral content
than those in the control group… but the effect was balanced out a year after the
supplementation was stopped.” (Hampton, 2004).
Though the supplements did work for a while, the bone mass of children
receiving them reverted back to that of other calcium-deprived children in
their age group. This shows that calcium
needs to continue to be consumed in order for bone mass in children to develop
fully. The best source of calcium,
according to the article, is milk.
However, milk consumption in children is decreasing as soft drinks are
becoming more available and more convenient.
So how will this issue be
solved? The article does not address
that point. It does show the importance
of calcium consumption in youth to develop bone mass and prevent future fractures
as well as osteoporosis, but it does not offer a solution to the issue. I personally would like to see milk more
readily and easily available in schools again.
The schools could even offer lunches that were rich in calcium. Supplements can also be continuously taken
during developmental stages of bone to increase mass (as the article shows). No matter how this issue is solved, it is one
of importance. The only solution I fear
for this problem is soft drink companies adding calcium to their products and
appealing even more to children. Calcium
should be consumed naturally, not as a supplementary ingredient in soda.
Source:
Journal of the American
Medical Association, 2004. Experts Urge
Early Investment in Bone Health. doi:10.1001/jama.291.7.811.
