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free tools for patients, expert nutrition advice and information on updated
dairy nutrition resources.
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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
Dairy Foods' Importance in the Diet of Growing Children
Milk and other dairy foods are nutrient dense foods providing abundant amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals necessary for children's growth and development. As estimated for 1997, dairy foods provided 72% of the calcium, 32% of the phosphorus, 26% of the riboflavin, 22% of the vitamin B12, 19% of the protein, 16% of the magnesium, 15% of the vitamin A, 9% of the vitamin B6, and 5% of the thiamin, in addition to appreciable amounts of vitamin D and niacin equivalents available in the U.S. food supply (18). Because milk and other dairy foods are nutrient dense foods their intake improves the overall nutritional quality of children's diets (19,20).
In addition to supporting children's growth and development, dairy food nutrients such as calcium, protein, magnesium, vitamin A, and vitamin K have a role in skeletal health (21). Calcium is the most important nutrient to maximize the development of peak bone mass within an individual's genetic potential and for preventing and treating osteoporosis (5,22). Also, the bone mass reached early in life is the most important determinant of life-long skeletal health (5). Low peak bone mass can lead to reduced bone mass in adulthood with increased risk of osteoporotic fractures (4). Although osteoporosis is associated with older adults, it is suggested to be a pediatric disease (23). About 90% of females' total bone mineral content is reached by age 17 and 99% by 26 years of age (24). Peak calcium accretion rates in the skeleton occur at age 14 for males and 12.5 years for girls (25). Researchers estimate that 26% of adult calcium is accumulated during the two years around the age of peak calcium accretion (25). During adolescence, approximately 40% of peak bone mass is accumulated (22). Therefore, it is critical that children consume sufficient dietary calcium during the crucial years of skeletal growth to optimize peak bone mass (4,5).
Most dairy food or calcium intervention trials in growing children demonstrate a positive effect on bone mineral content or bone mineral density (21,26,27). According to one review, when children's calcium intake is increased either as food or a supplement, bone mineral accretion improves between 1% and 5% at all sites measured (21). The increase in bone mineral accretion appears to be greater when dairy foods rather than supplements are the source of calcium (21,22,28). Further, the improvement in bone mineral accretion owing to higher calcium intake is more pronounced when baseline calcium is low (21,27). Also, gains in bone mineral density are maintained only when increased calcium intake is sustained (27-29). Some evidence indicates that calcium from dairy foods may have a more lasting bone health benefit than calcium supplements (30). Consuming milk during childhood and adolescence may contribute to a similar habit of milk intake during adulthood, which in turn could lead to higher calcium intakes in later years (28).
Maximizing bone mass early in life not only helps to reduce bone loss and risk of osteoporosis in later years, but also protect against fractures in childhood and adolescence (31,32). All children, and particularly those with a history of fracture, should adopt a lifestyle that optimizes bone mineral gain (32).
While optional, nearly all milk sold in the U.S. today is fortified with vitamin D to obtain standardized amounts of 400 I.U. or 10µg/quart (33). Few foods naturally contain vitamin D. Researchers recently identified rickets, a vitamin D deficiency disease that causes weak or deformed bones, in young children fed alternatives to cow's milk (34,35).
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