For Lifelong Health Milk Matters

by National Institute of Health

Growing tweens and teens have growing needs for milk.

It takes calcium to build strong bones. And calcium is especially important during the tween and teen years, when bones are growing their fastest. Boys and girls in these age groups have calcium needs that they can't make up for later in life. Tweens and teens can get most of their daily calcium from 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk (900 mg of calcium), but they also need additional servings of calcium-rich foods to get the 1,300 mg of calcium necessary to build strong bones for life.

Low-fat or fat-free milk is a great source of calcium because it also has other important nutrients that are good for bones and teeth. One especially important nutrient is vitamin D, which helps the body absorb more calcium.

Babies aren't the ones who need the most calcium.

Starting around age nine, young people need almost twice as much calcium as younger kids to help during the critical bone-building time between the ages of 11 and 15. Unfortunately, fewer than one in 10 girls and only one in four boys ages 9 to 13 are at or above their adequate intake of calcium.

Building strong bones in the tween and teen years makes a lifelong difference.

Having a calcium-rich diet when you're young makes a big difference in health, now and later. By getting the calcium they need now, tweens and teens will:

Strengthen bones now. Our bodies continually remove and replace small amounts of calcium from our bones. If more calcium is removed than is replaced, bones will become weaker and have a greater chance of breaking. Some researchers suspect that the rise in forearm fractures in children is due to decreased bone mass, which may result because children are drinking less milk and more soda and are getting less physical activity.

Help prevent osteoporosis later in life. Osteoporosis is a condition that makes bones weak so they break more easily. Although the effects of osteoporosis might not show up until adulthood, tweens and teens can help prevent it by building strong bones when they are young.

Weight-bearing physical activity also builds strong bones.

Bones are living tissue. Weight-bearing physical activity causes new bone tissue to form, which makes bones stronger. This kind of physical activity also makes muscles stronger. When muscles push and tug against bones during physical activity, bones and muscles become stronger.

Weight-bearing activities are those that keep you active and on your feet so that your legs carry your body weight. Activities such as walking, running, dancing, climbing stairs, and playing team sports like basketball, soccer, and volleyball help make bones stronger. Older teenagers can build even more bone strength through weight training, but they should check with a health care provider before starting any type of training.

Some activities, such as swimming, do not provide weight-bearing benefits. But they are good for cardiovascular fitness and overall good health.

Calcium keeps mouths healthy too.

Calcium is important for a healthy mouth too. Even before they come in, baby teeth and adult teeth need calcium to develop fully. And after the teeth are in, calcium may also help protect them against decay. Calcium makes jawbones strong and healthy too!

Besides making sure your children get enough calcium, there are other things you can do to keep their teeth healthy. Make sure your children brush with a fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride protects teeth from decay and helps heal early decay. Ask your child's dental care or health care provider if there is fluoride in your town or city's drinking water. If there is not, ask about fluoride tablets or drops for your child. Ask your child's dental care provider about proper brushing and flossing techniques and other ways your tween or teen can make sure teeth stay healthy.

Here's where tweens and teens can get the calcium they need.

There are lots of different calcium-rich foods to choose from, making it easy for tweens and teens to get the calcium they need every day. For example, just 1 cup of yogurt gives young people 25 percent of their daily calcium requirement. Low-fat and fat-free milk and milk products, such as low-fat or fat-free cheese and yogurt, are also excellent sources of calcium. Remember: tweens and teens can get most of their daily calcium from 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk (900 mg of calcium), but they also need additional servings of calciumrich foods to get the 1,300 mg of calcium necessary.

Food labels can tell you how much calcium is in one serving of food. Look at the % Daily Value (% DV) next to the calcium number on the food label. For more information, go to http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html.

About the Author

NIH is the nation's medical research agency - making important medical discoveries that improve health and save lives. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research.