A new study in the journal Bone has found that higher intakes of calcium may significantly improve bone health in children.
Scientists at Penn State College of Medicine assessed data from 21 clinical trials involving more than 3,800 children to determine how their intake of dietary calcium affects bone mineral content.
They found that children who had poor calcium consumption prior to the start of the research tended to experience a substantial increase in their total bone mineral content after improving their intake of the mineral - up to 25 times greater than the increase experienced by other children.
Lead author Dr Michael Huncharek, director of the Meta-Analysis Research Group, commented: "The new findings show that for those children who have inadequate calcium intake, increasing dietary calcium has a significant impact on bone development.
"Since most children don't get enough calcium, meeting calcium recommendations may help to prevent future osteoporosis."
According to the organisation KidsHealth, more than 85 per cent of girls and 60 per cent of boys between the ages of nine and 18 do not get the recommended amount of calcium.
A new study in the journal Bone has found that higher intakes of calcium may significantly improve bone health in children.
