Conference moira::parenting

<    	a while back I heard on the radio (NPR?) that there had been
<    a study which indicated that children should have a higher calcium
<    intake. That this would help add bone-mass which would stay with
<    them throughout their lives.

I heard this somewhere about *women*.  I don't remember hearing it about
children, unless what I read also mentioned girls.

Sorry I couldn't help more.

      Carol    

              <<< VMSZOO::FOLKD$:[NOTES$LIBRARY]MEDICAL.NOTE;1 >>>
                       -< MEDICAL questions and answers >-
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Note 1229.50                      Medical News                          50 of 97
DANGER::FORTMILLER "Ed Fortmiller, BXB2-2, 293-5076" 78 lines   9-JUL-1992 09:15
               -< Child's calcium intake linked to bone density >-
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Newsgroups: clari.tw.health,clari.news.top
Subject: Child's calcium intake linked to bone density
Keywords: medicine, health care, health
Date: 9 Jul 92 04:18:07 GMT
 
	BOSTON (UPI) -- Children may be able to reduce their risk of
developing the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis later in life if they
consume extra calcium before they hit puberty, researchers say.
	A three-year study, released Wednesday, involving 45 pairs of
identical twins found that pre-pubescent children who consumed
supplemental calcium developed bones with increased mineral density,
possibly making them less susceptible later on to the effects of
osteoporosis.
	The findings ``should encourage parents to learn what food has
calcium in it and see that their children are getting appropriate
amounts,'' said chief researcher Dr. C. Conrad Johnston Jr., an
endocrinologist at Indiana University School of Medicine in
Indianapolis.
	Johnston's scientific focus is on osteoporosis, a disorder affecting
an estimated 25 million older Americans, primarily women. The condition
causes skeletal loss of minerals and calcium, leading to reduced bone
mass and a greater chance of fractures.
	Because ``most people get most of their bone mass by age 18,''
Johnston said he wanted to see whether children who consumed more than
the currently recommended levels of calcium might benefit.
	During the study, both twins in each pair ate diets that provided an
average of about 900 milligrams of calcium daily. However, tablet
supplements provided one twin in every pair with an average of 718 extra
milligrams of calcium each day.
	At the end of three years, the 22 twins who consumed the extra
calcium and had not yet reached puberty had ``significantly greater''
bone density than corresponding sisters or brothers, Johnston and
colleagues reported in The New England Journal of Medicine.
	The researchers said they saw no equivalent effect among the
remaining 23 twin pairs who were either past puberty when the study
began or went through puberty during the project.
	Johnston said the results do not necessarily mean that older children
cannot also benefit from increased calcium consumption. But because of
the ``overwhelming effect that hormones have on the body'' during the
sexual maturation process of puberty, he said ``we couldn't see the
effects.''
	The children ranged in age from 6 to 14 when the study began. There
were 13 pairs of boys and 32 pairs of girls, but Johnston said the
results yielded no apparent differences based on sex.
	Although nutrition and exercise appear to be the keys to bone mass
formation during childhood and adolescence, relatively little research
has been conducted on calcium's potential benefits during these years,
he said.
	While past dietary studies have largely looked at undernourished
children, Johnston said these children were well nourished and their
diets contained close to the current recommended daily allowance, or
RDA, of calcium.
	The RDA ranges from 800 milligrams for children under age 11 to 1,200
milligrams for older children, he said. ``Unfortunately, older
children's calcium consumption often goes down, because they switch from
things like fortified fruit juice to diet soft drinks.''
	Although a variety of foods contain calcium, he said the main sources
in the American diet are milk and other dairy products, certain leafy
vegetables and fortified fruit juices.
	Commenting on the study, Dr. Velimir Matkovic of Ohio State
University College of Medicine in Columbus said that while most children
are consuming enough calcium for adequate bone formation, they appear
capable of retaining even greater amounts of the substance and growing
denser bones.
	However, before ``doctors rush to give normal children and
adolescents large doses of calcium supplements, we need further
research,'' Matkovic cautioned.
	Johnston echoed the advice, noting that it is still not known whether
``the differences we saw in bone mineral density in the twin pairs will
persist throughout their lives, and thus affect the osteoporosis risk.''
	He is conducting a follow-up study with the same twins to see whether
those who received the extra calcium can maintain their edge in bone
density. If they can, he said it would lend credence to ``the people who
say osteoporosis is really a pediatric disease,'' because its seeds are
sown during childhood.
	The research was supported by grants from the U.S. Public Health
Service and from Procter & Gamble Co. of Cincinnati, which makes
calcium-fortified fruit juices.

In our continuing effort to find the cause of Ilona's diarrhea,
we have put her on a non-dairy diet.  She drinks soymilk.

Question:

If she turns out to be completely lactose intolerant (like
her Mom), which means no cheese or yogurt, then how can I 
give her adequate calcium?

I'm asking both about supplements and about normal dietary
sources.

Hopefully she'll be able to handle hard cheeses and yogurt.

Thanks for any info you can provide,
Laura

    There are several forms of supplements that she can take.  My son takes
    a calcium supplement called NeoCalglucon.  It is a pleasant tasting
    syrup that I mix with his juice.  Any pharmacy can order it.  It
    is quite expensive.  The price range I have found is from $17.50 to
    $30, depending on where you go, for a pint bottle.  Cameron takes a
    teaspoon 5 times a day.  There are also chewable tablets as well as
    tums.  Watch the chewable tablets though, some of them contain milk
    dirivatives.
    
    As for foods, I'm told the green leafy vegetables are the best source
    of calcium.
    
    Hope this helps.
    
    Joyce
    

    There are other dietary sources of calcium, for example, broccoli,
    sardines etc. Not exactly the most favorite foods of young ones.

    I would consult with a nutritionist because I think that you will
    probably have to go the supplement route but I'm not sure of quantities
    if no milk is in the diet.

    As an aside, apparently there is a big hoop-la about taking milk out of
    children's as well as adult's diets (Dr. Spock is in on this). This is
    not new news to those of use who have reading about the evils of milk
    and dairy products even on those who are not lactose intolerant but it
    is interesting to see that some people are finally catching on.

    Of course the dairy industry is trying its hardest to refute any of
    these claims (surprise, surprise).

    			Wendy

    
    Doesn't soy formula's like Isomil have calcium in it.?
    
    

re .5:

It's not just the dairy industry that's refuting the claims that dairy
products are harmful to children.  Many nutritionists are refuting
them too.

Ask your doctor about additives which allow lactose-intolerant people to 
digest dairy products.  I've seen commercials on this but don't know much
about it.

Barbara

Does anybody have a list of calcium-rich foods? My daughter Jessica doesn't
like milk, and I'm lucky if she drinks half a glass at breakfast. The rest
of the time she drinks juice. I'm concerned that she's not getting enough
calcium, and am wondering what else I can give her to supplement what she's
losing by not drinking milk.  I never liked milk either, and drank it 
begrudgingly when I was pregnant, so I guess she gets this from me.  She
does like cheese, yogurt, and all kinds of vegetables. It seems to me
that broccoli is high in calcium, but I'm wondering what other foods I
should be giving her.  She doesn't care much for meat, but will anything
with a sauce on it, whether that's ketchup or bearnaise.  In general, she's
a very good eater.  She just doesn't seem to like milk.

Thanks,
Cathy

Try Calcium fortified orange juice.  Most major manufactures have one.  My 
daughter didn't like milk, and we used OJ instead.  But we kept trying milk, and
she seems to want it more and more.

Michael

    Other high calcium foods, Canned salmon (if you mash the bones up in
    it), sardinges, and some nuts.  We eat a lot of almonds.  Also dry
    beans are a fair source.  If she doesn't mind the taste, vinegar
    increases the available calcium in green leafy veggies, such as
    spinach, chard, and brocolli. Also, if you make your own soups aut of
    leftover chicken or beef bonew, a tablespoon of vinegar in while you
    are cooking will leach calcium out of the bones and into the broth.    
    
    I don't push my kids on milk, as I have a lactose intolerance, and my
    oldest had several problems with milk products that had not been
    cultured.  A varied diet seems to be the best way to increase calcium
    intake without forcing foods on a kid she doesn't like.  If you are
    extremely concerned about her intake, then you may want to look into
    calsium supplements as well.
    
    Meg

    Yogurt.
    

    
    I may be wrong here, but how about Jello.  Isn't gellatin
    made from cooked down bones?   
    
    Yum, now doesn't that sound delicious ;-).
    
    J
    

    Cathy,
    
    Try red beans, potatoes, green veg and the juice of real oranges.
    
    
    Bernie
    

    This is way overdue, but I'm way behind on reading...
    
    I seem to remember a consumer's article on TV, quite awhile ago, that
    made an argument out of the fact that the calcium in OJ was not
    utilized by the body.  They pointed specifically to a couple of the
    "name brands" that were advertising their added calcium.  The bottom
    line of the article said if you need calcium, and don't drink milk take
    TUMS or other similar antacid that contains calcium.
    
    Doesn't spinach have calcium?  Ever try to get a kid to eat it??? :-)!!
    
    I think I'd even settle for the "swiss style" yogurt, even if it has
    sugar init, at least it's still yogurt.  Oh and my son loves the
    BabyBell cheese minis, and there's another one that is formed into a
    blister pack that looks like a clown, had some samples at the Kids Fair
    at the Centrum a couple months ago, and I have seen it at Shaws.  He
    also goes crazy over the cheese that comes in the pressurized cans, he
    adores squirting it on crackers, whole grain of course!
    
    Lyn

re .13:

Gelatin has absolutely no food value.  Even the protein in gelatin is worthless.

    	I spoke recently with our Doctor about putting Spencer (And
    consequently Griffin) on a milk free diet. It's something that is long
    needed and the time has come to really make the move.

    	Basically her (the Dr.) advice to me was to give Spencer one tums a
    day and that that would cover the calcium requirements that he needed.
    I don't know if the dose is related to body size but Spencer weighs
    about 35 pounds these days.

    	On a somewhat related note, I make our own yogurt, it really is
    easy and tastes a heck of a lot better than the store bought stuff. I'm
    wondering if I could use Soy milk (they make cheese out of Soy so why
    not) to make yogurt, has anyone even heard of Soy yogurt? I think that
    this may have to be an experiment this weekend to see if it can be
    done.

    				Wendy

I think I've seen "soy yogurt" in health food stores, but I doubt if it's made
with the same microorganisms as real yogurt.

    
    	But why not? (this refers to the last note) Accidophilus is just a
    generic little bug. I was htinking that perhaps the protein difference
    would prevent the soy milk from coagulating.
    
    	I'll let you know this weekend if it works or not, if not, then
    maybe I'll hike over to the nearest health food store and have myself a
    chat.
    
        It is encouraging to hear that at least you have heard of it, that
    means that if I keep at it long enough, I'll be able to find a way to
    make it. Much thanks.
    
    				Wendy
    	

    I buy soy yogurt all the time at Bread and Circus in
    Brighton/Brookline, MA.  There are actually several brands even!
                                                                    
    You could maybe give them a call?

    My daughter can't handle milk protiens, so I just talked with my pedi
    about supplements.  She told me that a 2 year old child need to get at
    least 800 MG a day.   We're looking at trying Citracal....has anyone
    tried this?  The pharmacist didn't have it in stock so he can't give me
    the details until it comes in.  Has anyone used Citracal (sp???)? 
    
    I need to give Natasha a supplement that mixes with a drink.  The
    pedi told me 2 tums a day would due, but she just spits them out.  I
    tried mushing them up in putting them in other foods - with no luck.
    
    I've got a smart one on my hands - she knows when I'm hiding something.
    I'll say,,, try it it's yummy...she'll take one look at me and the
    something I'm trying to give her comes out of her mouth.