More than 50 percent of the children population in Britain are found to have an increased risk of poor bone health as they grow up due to inadequate dairy intake or, at times, none at all.
A Daily Express report said, experts believe that like the five kinds of fruits and vegetables daily, children, until their adulthood, need to have a regular intake of three servings of dairy every day to receive the calcium they need so as not to suffer from poor bone health and get other health benefits.
However, 45 percent of primary school children are not meeting the recommended amount of dairy intake as they only have two or more portions each day, their parents revealed in a survey.
The same study showed, roughly 30 percent of the youngsters consume just one portion of dairy products each day. The condition has even worsened since the pandemic started, this report revealed.
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Children aged four to eight years old need 2.5 cups of dairy products, including milk, each day, and those aged nine to 18 years need three cups a day.
Why is Dairy Important in Kids' Diet?
British children are not the only ones reported to have inadequate dairy intake. According to the Cleveland Clinic, in 2020, the United States Dietary Guidelines reported, four of 18 children are not consuming the recommended daily intake of dairy.
According to dietitian Kate Patton, Med, RD, CSSD, LD, the result put many children at greater risk for injury or even rickets.
Dairy products are an essential part of the daily diet. On top of providing carbohydrates, proteins, and sometimes fat, these food types offer an abundance of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D and calcium.
The US Dietary Guidelines report also specified that calcium and vitamin D are vital during all stages of life, making it even more essential for children to take early on in life.
Calcium is required to maintain strong bones, and vitamin D is a necessity for the body for calcium absorption. Specifically, nutritionists and dietitians have identified dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt as the richest sources of calcium.
Children aged four to eight years old need 2.5 cups of dairy products each day. Meanwhile, those aged nine to 18 years need three cups a day.
Exercise and Time Spent Indoors
In a Children's Bone Health Crisis report on poor bone health, it was specified that a lack of exercise and too much time indoors means younger kids and teenage individuals are putting the development of their bones at risk.
In a similar report, News Nation USA said, the average student is getting 30 to 40 percent of their everyday intake of calcium from dairy products and up to 17 percent of vitamin D, also from dairy, along with other minerals such as iodine and magnesium.
Dr. Nisa Aslam, a GP and adviser to Petits Filous, which commissioned the study explained that leaving bones that lack vitamins, minerals, protein, and exercise "can be detrimental." It can also go disregarded until later in life, when the density of bones decreases.
Meanwhile, Dr. Carrie Ruxton, a dietitian, said, children need regularly 4.5 times more calcium compared to adults and seven times more vitamin D.
Poor bone health in young individuals has resulted in a resurgence of rickets after they generally vanished during the 20th century.
Related information about bond health in children is shown on Mayo Clinic's YouTube video below:
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