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Calcium Supplements for Kids: Are They a Waste of Money?

Calcium Supplements

Calcium supplements for children have become widely available and include chewable forms of calcium that kids find appealing and easy to take. These supplements are widely promoted for bone health in kids and more parents are jumping on board to make sure their kids have the calcium they need to enter their adult years with strong and healthy bones. Studies have shown that childhood is an important time for building healthy bone density and that weak bones during childhood can increase the risk of osteoporosis later in life.

As a result, more parents are giving their kids calcium supplements in the hopes of building strong and healthy bones. Although this practice has been endorsed in large part by the medical community, a new analysis shows that calcium supplements for kids may not be as beneficial as originally thought.

In this study, published in the British Medical Journal, a meta-analysis or an in depth look at a number of previous studies, was performed looking at how calcium supplementation in kids affected childhood bone density. The children studied ranged in age from three to eighteen years. The results? Calcium supplements for children appeared to be associated with a small increase in bone density in the upper limbs, while no effect was seen on bone density in the spine or neck regions. The small increase in bone density noted in the upper limbs was not thought to be statistically significant. According to this meta-analysis, it appears that calcium supplements for kids have little impact on bone density.

It’s interesting to note that this study looked only a use of calcium supplements for kids, not calcium derived from food sources such as dairy products. Natural calcium derived from foods is thought to be more easily absorbed and assimilated than that found in calcium supplements for kids. Despite the fact that this study showed no benefit of calcium supplementation in kids, calcium is still an important mineral for overall bone health.

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The bottom line? Although calcium supplements for children may not provide any additional bone building benefit, kids should be given foods rich in calcium on a daily basis along with restriction of soft drinks containing phosphate which lower calcium levels and are thought to play a role in osteoporosis. Adequate quantities of magnesium in the diet are also important for building better bones. Good sources are nuts, wheat bran, and oatmeal.

Vitamin D levels should also be optimized since this vitamin D is another critical factor in the prevention of osteoporosis. The best source is ten minutes of sun exposure each day as well as the addition of fatty fish such as salmon and vitamin D fortified milk to the diet. Studies looking at the role of vitamin D supplementation on childhood bone density are needed since the childhood fracture rate appears to be rising in America.

Getting adequate quantities of fruits and vegetables also help to promote healthy bone density since they create a more alkaline environment in the body which helps to prevent breakdown of bone. They’re also a good source of magnesium which is so important for bone health.

Although you may be wasting your money when you purchase calcium supplements for kids, diet is an important element that can make a difference in the health of your child’s bones.