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According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 20-percent of two-year-olds don’t get enough calcium in their diets – and the problem gets much worse as children get older. 90-percent of teen girls are reportedly not getting the calcium they need.

16-year-old Katherine Bickley says that, at most, she drinks one glass of milk every two days.

“Actually, I don’t drink a lot of milk, just because I don’t really like the taste of it or whatever,” she says.

Dietary guidelines show teen girls need four servings of milk or dairy a day, which Katherine says is just not realistic.

“At school all they have is soda and water and Gatorade,” she notes. “And no one is going to get milk at school. You just don’t do that.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, nine out of ten teen girls do not get enough calcium in their diets. And that puts them at risk for osteoporosis, later in life.

“You develop 40-percent of your bone mass during your adolescent growth spurt,” says pediatrician Dr. Rhonda Jeffries. “And once your adolescence is over then that is really the end of your opportunity to build bone mass. And particularly in women, you begin to lose bone mass every year.”

Osteoporosis runs in Katherine’s family. “It’s obvious – my grandmothers are both bent-over,” she says.

“I have been concerned for Katherine, that her future would have something like what they’ve had,” says Katherine’s father, Dutch Bickley. “And so, to stave that off, we have been very aggressive in supplementing her and making certain that she gets enough calcium in her diet.”

Katherine takes two calcium tablets every day. “A teenage girl generally needs between 1200 or 1500 milligrams of calcium a day,” says Dr. Jeffries. “So if I run across a girl who is not getting that, I generally recommend that they take anywhere between 1000 and 1200 milligrams of extra calcium a day.”

“It doesn’t bother me at all,” says Katherine. “I’d rather take it than not take it.”

What We Need To Know

• Children ages 1-3 should be getting 500 milligrams of calcium a day. Children ages 4-8 need 800 milligrams per day. And adolescents between the ages of 9-18 need 1300 milligrams a day. That is approximately three servings of dairy for younger kids, and four servings for teens. (American Academy of Pediatrics)




• Low-fat dairy products like skim milk and low-fat yogurts are good sources of calcium. (U.S. Department of Agriculture)




• The USDA recommends some healthy ways to increase the amount of calcium in your diet. Add low-fat milk to oatmeal instead of water. Try topping a baked potato with low-fat yogurt, or make a dip for fruits and vegetables from yogurt. Also make pudding with low-fat milk for dessert. (United States Department of Agriculture)




• Children who are not getting enough calcium in their diets should consider taking supplements. Choose a supplement that has vitamin D – which is needed for calcium absorption. (Rhonda Jeffries, M.D., Pediatrician)




• Regular exercise is important for bone health. Exercises like running and jumping, which force the body to support its entire weight, can help adolescents achieve maximum bone density. (American Academy of Pediatrics)

Resources

• American Academy of Pediatrics




• United States Department of Agriculture




• Food and Drug Administration

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