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free tools for patients, expert nutrition advice and information on updated
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Educate your patients on the importance of 3-A-Day of Dairy: Here's
a great
tool (PDF: 618k) to show families how to get their 3-A-Day of Dairy
every day for stronger bones.
Developed in conjunction with The American Academy of Family
Physicians, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Dietetic
Association, and The National Medical Association.
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Dairy Council Digest Archives
The Role of Dairy Foods and Activity for Growing Children
Introduction
Healthful eating habits and regular physical activity during childhood and adolescence promote optimal growth and development and reduce the risk for chronic diseases (1). Unfortunately, unhealthy eating and physical activity patterns are placing the nation's youth at risk for such disorders as obesity, diabetes, and poor bone health (2-5).
Over the past two decades, the number of overweight children and adolescents in the U.S. has nearly doubled (2). Type 2 diabetes, a disease normally affecting middle-aged adults, is on the rise among U.S. children (3). Concern that children's lifestyle habits are leading to low bone mass and risk of bone fractures in childhood and osteoporosis in later years recently was addressed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (4) and a NIH Consensus Development Panel on Osteoporosis Prevention, Diagnosis, and Therapy (5).
Most children fail to meet USDA's Food Guide Pyramid recommendations, especially for fruit, grain, and dairy groups (6-8). In recent decades, children's intake of milk and milk products has decreased, whereas their intake of soft drinks, fruit drinks, and fruit flavored drinks has increased (9,10). This change in children's beverage consumption contributes to their low calcium intake (11,12). Milk and milk products are the primary source of calcium in the typical American diet and adequate calcium intake during childhood is associated with reduced risk of fractures during the early years and osteoporosis later in life (4,5). Variations in calcium nutrition in the early years may account for as much as a 5 to 10% difference in peak adult bone mass reached by age 30 or earlier, which in turn could contribute more than 50% to hip fracture rates in later adult years (13).
Deteriorating eating habits and physical inactivity may be placing today's generation of growing children at risk for chronic diseases, including osteoporosis in later years.
Regular physical activity during childhood and adolescence offers a number of health benefits, including helping to build and maintain bones (14). Yet, many children are physically inactive and physical activity tends to decline as children enter adolescence (14-16). Concern that children's deteriorating eating habits and physical inactivity may place this generation of young people at increased risk of disease such as osteoporosis later in life is leading to efforts to improve growing children's lifestyles (1,16,17).
This Digest reviews the importance of dairy foods for children's growth, development, and particularly bone health; factors contributing to children's low intake of dairy foods and calcium; the bone health benefits of physical activity; and strategies to improve growing children's dietary patterns and motivate them to lead a physically active lifestyle.
Table of Contents:
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