Help Prevent Osteoporosis Later in Life
The peak “bone making years” are in childhood and teen years. If kids and teens don’t make enough bone as a kid, their risk for a bone disease called osteoporosis – pronounced ah-stee-oh-per-oh-sis – goes up. Osteoporosis is a condition that makes bones weak so they break more easily.
A poor diet and not enough physical activity can cause kids and teens to have weaker bones when they become adults. This not only makes it easier to get osteoporosis, it can hurt the body’s ability to heal right after an injury.
When kids and teens get enough calcium and vitamin D, and they do enough of the right types of physical activities called bone strengthening activities, they can help protect their bones.
Bones rely on calcium they store to stay strong throughout life. But, the “bone bank” for storing calcium is only open for a short time. Tweens (kids ages 9 to 12) and teens can help prevent osteoporosis by filling their bone banks with calcium when they are young, so that their bones can use it throughout life.
Daily Recommended Calcium Intake mg = milligrams
- Birth to 6 months – 210 mg
- 7 to 12 months – 270 mg
- 1 to 3 years – 500 mg
- 4 to 8 years – 800 mg
- 9 to 18 years – 1,300 mg
- 19 to 50 years – 1,000 mg
- 50+ years – 1,200 mg
Osteoporosis in the vertebrae can cause serious problems. A fracture in this area occurs from day to day activities like climbing stairs, lifting objects, or bending forward. Signs of osteoporosis:
- Sloping shoulders
- Curve in the back
- Height loss
- Back pain
- Hunched posture
- Protruding abdomen