Childhood is the time to focus on bone health
An important part of childhood is growing and taking care of bone health. Luckily, kids are usually pretty good at two habits that support healthy bone development – running around and eating cheese.
Bone mineral density is the amount of minerals, like calcium or phosphorus, in the bones. High mineral density equals strong bones. As mineral density decreases, bones become brittle and more likely to fracture. Brittle bones are typically an issue in older adulthood, but healthy bones begin in childhood.
It helps to think of the bones like a savings account. Kids can keep adding minerals until they're in their 20s. Then it's time to start taking withdrawals.
“We want healthy children to put as much bone in the bank as they can,” said Bradley Miller, MD, PhD, an endocrinologist with M Health Fairview Pediatrics and professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School. “You want a strong skeleton when you're a young adult, because after about age 30 your body only takes nutrients, like calcium, out of the bone. In the natural course of life, our bones get weaker as we get older. If you don't have a good foundation, then challenges with osteoporosis can come earlier.”
Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by brittle bones. It causes bones to break easily.
Miller shares tips for getting more minerals in the bone bank and when a child might need bone density screening.
Building strong bones
“Bone density keeps the skeleton healthy for all the things we do, like running, playing, and activities,” Miller said. “Making sure we're getting the appropriate calcium and vitamin D in our diets helps us have strong bones.”
For healthy bones, Miller recommends:
Getting three servings per day of calcium-rich foods.
“The main calcium source in our diet is dairy, but green leafy vegetables and broccoli are excellent sources of calcium,” Miller said. Dairy foods include milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Taking a vitamin D supplement.
Vitamin D is necessary for getting calcium into the bones. Without adequate vitamin D, you could drink milk by the gallon and not have healthy bones. Your body can make vitamin D from sunlight, but that and food sources are usually not enough. “We live in Minnesota and we’re almost all vitamin D deficient,” Miller said. “The strength of the sun is not strong enough to turn the vitamin D in our skin to the active form that our body needs.”
Reducing sedentary time.
Weight-bearing exercise, which is when your weight is on your feet, such as when you’re walking, dancing, or playing soccer, makes bones stronger. Muscles also play an important role in bone strength, so any kind of physical activity can support bone health. “Muscles put pressure on bones as we grow and run and play and do all of those things,” Miller said.
When to test bone strength
When children experience low bone density, it’s usually related to another health condition, such as a history of cancer, bone marrow transplant, chronic inflammatory illness, or inadequate nutrition, Miller said. For example, chronic inflammation can weaken bones. Treatments that involve steroids or chemotherapy can further weaken bones.
If your child’s healthcare team has concerns about bone density based on medical history or frequency of bone fractures, they might recommend a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan. A DXA scan is an X-ray that looks at bone mineralization. Your child will then get what’s called a ‘z score,’ which compares their bone mineral density to other kids based on age and size.
Your child’s healthcare team might recommend treatments based on the cause of the bone mass loss. They might also recommend follow-up scans to measure progress.
M Health Fairview Pediatrics has a variety of specialists who work together to care for children’s bone health, including orthopedics, endocrinology, and genetics. Find care for your child.
