It’s critical for babies 6 to 12 months old to meet their calcium requirements because skeletal growth and development is at its most rapid during infancy. Calcium’s role in child development doesn’t stop there, however. In fact, as children grow older, they need to increase their calcium intake to meet bodily demands other than bone development.
It’s alarming, then, to find out that Filipino kids today aren’t getting enough of this mineral. According to the Sixth National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI-RENI) last 2004, calcium intake has been drastically decreasing by age group. Children ages 6 months to 5 years consume only an average 73.4% of their daily calcium needs, with soda ranking number 15 in their list of most commonly consumed food items.
Calcium’s Primary Role
Bone formation is a gradual process starting from infancy to age 30, when peak bone mass is achieved. Since bone loss is also a gradual process, the stronger the bones are at age 30, the more bone loss will be delayed. That’s why it’s important to get enough calcium throughout infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Aimee Barrion, professor of nutrition at the Institute of Human Nutrition and Food at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, reveals, “Inadequate intake of calcium is associated with rickets for children and osteomalacia for adults. Both illnesses are characterized by softening of the bones. Bones become fragile, which results in skeletal deformities.” Lack of calcium also poses a greater risk of developing osteoporosis, which increases the risk of fractures from weakened bones.
The body contains about three pounds of calcium: 99 percent is stored in the bones and teeth while the remaining one percent is found throughout the body in the blood, muscles, and fluid between cells. If blood calcium levels are low due to poor calcium intake, calcium is taken from the bones to ensure normal cell function.
Click here to learn more sources of calcium and its benefits.
[previous|page|next]
Read on to learn more sources of calcium and its benefits.
Apart from being the main mineral in healthy bone and teeth formation, calcium helps the blood clot faster—an important consideration especially when kids become more active and start getting cuts and other injuries from playing or rough-housing.
Calcium also protects children from lead toxicity. According to the study “Dietary Calcium Intakes Of Urban Children At Risk Of Lead Poisoning” (published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, June 1999), increased intake of calcium has been found to decrease the gastrointestinal absorption of lead. Once lead enters the body, it tends to accumulate in the skeleton, where it may remain for more than 20 years. Regular exposure to lead has been found to cause learning and behavioral difficulties in children, and kidney problems and high blood pressure in grown-ups.
As a key element in the cell membrane, calcium is also responsible for ensuring that important bodily functions—nerve impulse transmission, muscle contraction, hormone production, and enzyme production and activation—are carried out smoothly.
Where To Get Your Calcium Fix
Milk and dairy products are the number-one source of calcium. But there are alternative calcium sources for kids who are allergic to some proteins in milk or are lactose intolerant. Barrion shares that other calcium sources include fish (especially the small ones like dilis and sardines), soy bean curd tofu, green vegetables like brocolli, spinach, malunggay leaves, saluyot, alugbati, and mustasa, and seeds and nuts like almonds and sesame.
Calcium-fortified products like fruit juices or tofu are also widely available in the market. Essentially, calcium in a glass of milk is equivalent to a cup of yogurt, to one and a half ounces of cheddar cheese, to two and one-fourth cups of cooked broccoli, or to eight cups of cooked spinach.
Aimee Barrion, professor, Institute of Human Nutrition and Food, College of Home Economics, University of the Philippines Los Baños. (Literature) FNRI-RENI Philippines 2002, by DOST, Nutrition Now (2005 4th Ed.), by Judith Brown; “Dietary calcium intakes of urban children at risk of lead poisoning,” by Kay Bruening, Francis W. Kemp, Nicole Simone, Yvette Holding, Donald B. Louria, and John D. Bogden, Environmental Health Perspectives, June 1999. (Websites) www.fnri.dost.gov.ph, www.kidshealth.org
Click here to learn more about calcium sources and calcium content.
[previous|page|next]
Read on to learn more about calcium sources and calcium content.
COMMON CALCIUM SOURCES AND CALCIUM CONTENT
Optimizing Bone Health
“Vitamin D enhances the utilization and retention of calcium in our body,” stresses Professor Aimee Barrion of the Institute of Human Nutrition and Food at the University of the Philippines, Los Baños.
Produced by the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight, vitamin D is also found in fortified dairy products, fish, and egg yolks. It is also important to engage in weight-bearing exercises (not to be confused with weight training) to maximize bone strength and density. Examples of these are brisk walking, running, dancing, and aerobics—which let your bones and muscles work against gravity while they bear your body weight.
Click here to learn more about the recommended daily calcium intake for children.
[previous|page|next]
RECOMMENDED DAILY CALCIUM INTAKE FOR CHILDREN
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod
