Everything you need to know about bone health

This story was originally titled "Healthy Bones at Every Age" in the November 2008 issue. Subscribe to Canadian Living today and never miss an issue!

Bone building begins at birth, but a healthy skeleton doesn't materialize overnight. Instead, bones mature gradually as you grow, with childhood and early adulthood being the prime periods for bone development. If your body misses that opportunity, you run the risk of developing osteoporosis – brittle, thinning bones – when you're older. Osteoporosis is sometimes called a "pediatric disease with geriatric consequences."

Although many Canadians are aware of the risk of osteoporosis, most aren't working to prevent it, according to the results of a survey conducted last year by Ipsos-Reid on behalf of Osteoporosis Canada. Consequently, the incidence of osteoporosis is expected to skyrocket as baby boomers move beyond menopause.

The good news? Just as developing healthy bones is gradual, so too is the progression of osteoporosis. You can take steps at any age to prevent or delay its onset.

Here's a look at how to develop and maintain bone health at any age.

Childhood
Calcium – ages one to three: 500 milligrams per day; ages four to eight: 800 mg per day; ages nine to 13: 1,300 mg per day
For most kids, a healthy diet provides adequate calcium. Aim for three or four servings of calcium-rich foods each day; examples include a cup of milk, one ounce of cheese or a glass of fortified orange juice.

Tip: For a kid who turns his nose up at dairy foods and juices, a simple way to get calcium into his diet is to add a single tablespoon of skim milk – containing about 50 grams of calcium – to puddings, homemade cookies, breads, muffins, soups or casseroles.

Vitamin D – 200 international units (IUs) per day
Two glasses of fortified milk a day should provide sufficient vitamin D for the average infant or child, according to Health Canada, especially if she gets regular exposure to sunlight, which the body converts into vitamin D. Premature infants or those who are breast-fed or live in darker northern climates might need vitamin D supplements. Talk to your doctor about the specific needs of your child.

Exercise
Physical activity is crucial during childhood, when the body is still growing, according to Dr. David Goltzman, director of the Clinical Bone Centre at the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal. "For a young, growing skeleton, activity can maximize development," says Goltzman, who is also the lead investigator of the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study.

As soon as children have the required balance and coordination (at about age seven), weight-bearing activities – anything that works against gravity or resistance – are the ideal exercise, says Goltzman. Beneficial activities include:
• jogging;
• dancing; and
• team sports (such as soccer or baseball).

And every little bit counts.

A Canadian Institute of Health Research study of elementary school children in B.C. found that short spurts of activity, such as five jumping jacks whenever the school bell rang, showed marked increases in bone mass and strength after 16 months.

Prevention
The idea is to ensure your kids are equipped with sufficient bone mass to withstand as much future bone loss as possible.
Here are some tips:
• Get kids to make exercise a habit now, so that an active lifestyle becomes the norm as they age.
• Encourage them to eat a healthy diet so that, too, becomes second nature.
• Ensure that they get some sun exposure. (But watch that they don’t get too much!)

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