Developed by Registered Dietitians atDairy Farmers of Manitoba

Reviewed by Dr. Bill Leslie,Osteoporosis Canada, Manitoba Chapter

© 2009

For more information contactOsteoporosis Canada, Manitoba Chapter

(204) 772-3498manitoba@osteoporosis.ca

You think abouttheir safety and

education...

During childhood and teenyears we build bones tolast the rest of our lives.

Lifestyle makes a difference!Help your children build

their best bones now!

Activity & bones

Bone, like many other body organs,responds positively to physical activity.As little as 30 minutes of daily exercise,especially around the time of puberty, willhelp build strong, dense bones.

Did you know?

• Active adolescents can increase peakbone mass 7-8% compared tosedentary teens.

• Consuming enough calcium appearsto increase the benefits of activity.

• Adequate vitamin D intake increasescalcium absorption 30% or more.

• Adequate calcium intake inadolescents can increase peak bonemass 5-10% compared to low intake.

• Limit your intake of caffeine (coffee,cola and some energy drinks).

• A healthy body weight is important forstrong bones. The body will not buildits best bones if a person is too thin.

• Don’t smoke! Smoking causes bones tolose calcium.

What kind of activity?

A variety of activities is most beneficial.Stop-start activities (like soccer andbasketball), jumping movements (likeskipping) and resistance exercise (likeweight-training) all have positive impacton bone during these growth years.

Only bones in the area of the bodyexercised benefit. Be sure to exercise thewhole body.

How much is enough?

Aim for 30-60 minutes of activity perday, 3-5 days a week. It doesn’t have tobe continuous… accumulate 10-minutechunks of activity throughout the day.

If you don’t use it you lose it! Activitymust be continued to maintain bonemass built with exercise.

Do youthink abouttheir bones?

Bones are alive!

Bone is living tissue that changesthroughout a person’s life. Special cellsremove old bone while other cells laydown new bone to ensure it stays strong.This process is most active duringchildhood and adolescence as bones grow.

Puberty, importantyears for bone

During the 3 or 4 years around puberty,often called the bone building window, thebody builds about 40% of adult bone mass.

Building strong, dense bones during theseyears appears to be one of the best ways todecrease the risk of osteoporosis and therisk of fractures later in life.

Genes, hormones and lifestyle choices (likephysical activity and food choices) all play arole in the body’s ability to take advantageof this opportunity.

For more information see:• Calcium: An Essential Element for Bone

Health• Calcium Calculator™• The Everyday Calcium

Cookbook(Available through OsteoporosisCanada, Manitoba Chapter)

Food & bones

Protein, calcium and vitamin D, as part ofhealthy eating, are all needed for strongbones. Following Canada’s Food Guide(including 2-4 servings of Milk andAlternatives daily) helps people of all agesmeet these needs.

Beyond calcium

Bone is multi-nutrient tissue... it isimportant to eat a well-balanced dietwith a variety of healthy foods to helpthe body build the best bones possible.

What are the best sources?

How much calcium & vitamin Ddoes my child need?

Childhood and adolescence are critical times

for bones. These years are a “once-in-a-

lifetime” opportunity to build the bone tissue

that will last for the rest of our lives. The

quality and quantity of bone in adulthood

depends on building healthy bones during

childhood and adolescence.

Between birth and 20 years of age about

90% of the lifetime skeleton is built and

consolidated.

The best source of calcium is food. Allfood groups provide some calcium,however Milk and Alternatives providethe highest levels. Milk is particularlyimportant as it is also a good source ofvitamin D which is needed for calciumabsorption. If choosing a calcium-fortified beverage be sure it alsocontains vitamin D.

Vitamin D occurs naturally in very fewfoods (mainly the flesh of fatty fish). Andwhile sunlight encourages the body toproduce vitamin D, in Canada the sun’srays are not strong enough betweenOctober and March. Most of the vitaminD we consume comes from foodsfortified with vitamin D.

Calcium & vitamin D in food

Food Calcium (mg) Vitamin D (IU)

Hard cheese (50 g) 350 mg —

Cheese strings(check package weight, compare to 50 g) 350 mg —

Milk, white/chocolate (250 mL) 300 mg 100 IU

Milkshake (with 250 mL milk) 300 mg 100 IU

Yogurt (175 g) 300 mg check label

Calcium fortified beverages (250 mL) 300 mg check label

Canned salmon, with bones (75 g) 200 mg 400 - 600 IU

Baked beans, canned (175 mL) 100 mg —

Broccoli, cooked (125 mL) 50 mg —

Margarine (1 tsp) — 25 IU

Egg — 50 IU

Source: Canadian Nutrient File

Age Calcium Needs Vitamin D Needs(Males & Females) (Males & Females)

1-3 years 500 mg 200 IU

4-8 years 800 mg 200 IU

9-18 years 1300 mg 200 IU

Source: DRI’s, NAS, 2006

Calcium intake declines over time.Most children over age 8 do not consumethe recommended amount of calcium; andgirls from age 11 on get less than 75% oftheir recommended calcium intake.