Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Nurturing child's bone health
Nurturing your child's bone health starts with understanding bone development. The best time to nurture your child's bone health is during childhood and adolescence when the amount of bone tissue in the skeleton known as bone mass peaks.
During adolescence bones reach maximum strength and density. Peak bone mass is influenced by factors like gender, hormonal factors, nutritional status, and physical activity.
Gender affects bone mass or density, which is generally higher in boys than in girls. Before puberty, boys and girls develop bone mass at similar rates but after puberty, boys tend to develop greater bone mass than girls. vHormonal factors like estrogen and testosterone are essential for the development of bone mass. Girls who start to menstruate at an early age typically have greater bone density than those who frequently miss their menstrual periods.
Nutritional status also greatly influences bone mass. Calcium is an essential nutrient for bone health and makes the skeleton dense and strong. It also promotes normal blood clotting, regular heartbeat, and other muscle contractions.
Milk and milk products are by far the most important dietary sources of calcium. They contain highly absorbable calcium and are also good sources of other vital nutritional elements including high quality protein for building and repair of body tissues, and vitamin A for better eyesight and healthy skin. They are also rich in riboflavin for the normal functioning of the nervous system, cobalamin or Vitamin B12 for maturation of red blood cells, and phosphorus for proper bone and tooth development.
One glass of milk consisting of four tablespoons of powdered full cream milk diluted in one glass of water provides 310 milligrams of calcium, which is about 44 percent of the recommended calcium intake for a 7- to 9-year-old child.
Aside from milk and milk products, there are other sources of calcium like fishes, especially the small ones eaten with bones like dilis or anchovies and sardines, small shrimps or alamang, soy bean curd in tofu and tokwa forms , and green leafy vegetables like malunggay or horseradish leaves, saluyot, alugbati, and mustasa.
A 7-9 year-old child needs 700 milligrams of calcium a day, which could come from milk and milk products and calcium-rich foods like small fishes and green leafy vegetables. If the child is non-milk drinker, add milk to casseroles, cheese sauces, fruit shakes, dips, puddings, mashed potato, and halo-halo. Physical activity is also important for building healthy bones. Bones and muscles get stronger when used.
The more physical activities your child engages in, the stronger and healthier the bones will be. Encourage your child to engage in weight-bearing bone-building activities like walking, running, hiking, dancing, and basketball. (Ma. Idelia G. Glorioso)
(October 25, 2006 issue)
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