February 15, 2008

The Word from WIC

Bone Health

Bone health is important during all stages of life, from childhood, through pregnancy, and into older adulthood.
Bone is made up of living tissue that is always changing.

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become weak and break easily. There is no cure for the disease, but there is prevention. Optimizing peak bone mass and developing lifelong healthy bone behaviors during childhood are important ways to help prevent or minimize osteoporosis risk as an adult.

Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, and Bone Health

Both pregnancy and breastfeeding cause changes and place more stress on a woman's body. Some of these changes may have an effect on her bones.

During pregnancy, the fetus growing in its mother's womb needs plenty of calcium to develop its skeleton. Calcium is an important mineral for everyone, but one needs more calcium during pregnancy and breastfeeding because both the mother and baby need it.

This need increases during the last three months of the pregnancy. If the mother does not get an adequate amount of calcium, the baby will take what it needs from its mother's bones. Fortunately, any bone mass lost during pregnancy is typically restored within several months after the baby's delivery or within six months after breastfeeding ends.

Kids and Their Bones

Bones support a child's growing body. During childhood and adolescence, more bone is added than is taken away as the skeleton grows in size and thickness. For most people, the amount of bone tissue in the skeleton peaks by the time they are in their late 20s, which makes youth the best time to work on bone health.

Tips to Keep Bones Healthy

Taking care of your bones is important throughout life. A balanced diet with adequate calcium, regular exercise, and a healthy lifestyle are good ways to help grow and maintain bone mass.

This means getting plenty of foods that are rich in calcium and vitamin D. Most kids get enough vitamin D from sunlight or from foods like fortified milk, but most do not get enough calcium in their diets to help ensure optimal peak bone mass. Any type of exercise is good, but the best ones to enhance bone health are weight-bearing activities, like walking, running, and basketball.

Good Sources of Calcium

Low-fat dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese
Dark green, leafy vegetables, such as broccoli
Canned sardines and salmon with bones
Foods fortified with calcium, such as orange juice, cereals, and breads

Calcium should come from food sources whenever possible. If one cannot get enough calcium from his or her diet, a calcium supplement can be taken. For best absorption, no more than 500 mg of calcium should be taken at one time.

Smoking

One may know that smoking is bad for the heart and lungs, but it is also bad for bones. There have even been several studies that have linked smoking to higher risk of fractures.

A balanced diet with adequate calcium and regular exercise are very important for mothers and their children, but good bone health is something everyone should try to achieve.

Source: National Institute of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Disease~ National Resource Center.