Kids still not drinking enough milkOctober 05, 2007American children are drinking too little milk and what they are consuming is too high in fat, according to a Penn State study. "There is a strong correlation between dairy consumption and calcium," says Sibylle Kranz, assistant professor of nutritional sciences. "While there is calcium in fortified orange juice, for example, it is not as bioavailable as that found in milk." She notes that people need to take calcium with vitamin D and some protein for optimal use in the body. Kranz, working with Po-Ju Lin, doctoral student and David A. Wagstaff, statistician, looked at children's average daily dairy intake and compared it with that recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's My Pyramid dairy recommendations and Adequate Intake of calcium for various ages from 2 through 18. Their findings, reported online in press in the Journal of Pediatrics, are that only 2 to 3 year olds meet the MyPyramid dairy recommendations. They also noticed that most children choose to consume more of the highest fat varieties of cheese, yogurt, ice cream and dairy-based toppings. The various recommendations for dairy intake in children established by a variety of organizations suggest two cups for 1 to 3 year olds, two to three cups for 4 to 8 year olds, and three to four cups for 9 to 18 year olds depending on the recommending agency. Only the youngest age group met these requirements. Among 4 to 8 year olds, consumption dropped below two cups a day and remained steady for 9 to 13 year olds, and declined again among 14 to 18 year olds. All these dairy and calcium intake patterns were observed while the recommendation increased to three and then four cups daily. "Although the recommendations are all for low fat dairy," says Kranz. "People are still consuming great amounts of whole fat dairy products." The researchers found that 43 to 51 percent of the dairy consumed by younger children was from whole-fat sources with only 5 to 11 percent from non-fat dairy. Older children consumed about 35 to 36 percent from whole-fat dairy and 11 to 13 percent from non-fat dairy sources. "A glass of fat-free milk has 80 calories, while whole milk has 150 calories," says Kranz. "That is a difference per glass of 70 calories or 210 to 280 calories a day for individuals consuming three to four servings of dairy." The Penn State researcher notes that these additional calories can add to the current problems of childhood obesity. The difference between whole-fat and reduced-fat mozzarella cheese is 20 calories per ounce with another 30 calories if the cheese is fat free. "While children are not meeting the diary or calcium requirements, it is not a good idea to try to meet them by eating premium ice creams or other high fat products," says Kranz. She suggests frozen yogurts or sherbets or low or non-fat yogurt, cheese and toppings. Also, researchers noted that dairy consumption patterns have not changed recently. Although physicians once recommended that children receive whole milk during the first year of life, that recommendation is no longer true. Doctors now recommend consumption of baby formula if the child is not nursing. Starting with the second year of life, reduced-fat or fat-free milk is appropriate. However, children are still drinking whole-fat milk. A cup of milk provides 250 to 300 milligrams of calcium, a cup of low-fat yogurt contributes about 400 milligrams of calcium and an ounce of cheese includes about 200 milligrams of calcium. In dairy products, about 32 percent of the calcium is bioactive and used by the body. Other sources of calcium such as soy milk and fortified orange juice at 300 milligrams are only about 25 percent available. Dairy products in general are the best sources of calcium for children, but knowing this and getting children to eat more low-fat dairy options (yogurt, cheese and milk) are not the same thing. Kranz suggests that one solution would be non-fat, non-sugared flavored milk products. These can range from milk with a little cocoa powder to milk blended with strawberries or blueberries. Currently, only 9 percent of 2 to 3 year olds' dairy consumption is flavored milk, 4 to 13 year olds drink more flavored milk --16 to 18 percent, while 14 to 18 year olds are at 13 percent. Penn State |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Calcium Current Events and Calcium News Articles Lactose intolerance rates may be significantly lower than previously believed Prevalence of lactose intolerance may be far lower than previously estimated, according to a study in the latest issue of Nutrition Today. Commentary warns of unexpected consequences of proton pump inhibitor use in reflux disease Despite being highly effective and beneficial for many patients, unexpected consequences are emerging in patients who are prescribed proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for reflux diseases. Nation's hip fracture rate could drop 25 percent with aggressive osteoporosis prevention Aggressively managing patients at risk for osteoporosis could reduce the hip fracture rate in the United States by 25 percent, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the November issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. Snail fossils suggest semiarid eastern Canary Islands were wetter 50,000 years ago Fossil land snail shells found in ancient soils on the subtropical eastern Canary Islands show that the Spanish archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa has become progressively drier over the past 50,000 years. Exposure to alkaline substances can result in damaged teeth It has long been known that acids can erode tooth enamel but a new Swedish study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg shows that strong alkaline substances can damage teeth too - substances with high pH values can destroy parts of the organic content of the tooth, leaving the enamel more vulnerable. Ocean acidification may contribute to global shellfish decline Relatively minor increases in ocean acidity brought about by high levels of carbon dioxide have significant detrimental effects on the growth, development, and survival of hard clams, bay scallops, and Eastern oysters, according to researchers at Stony Brook University's School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. Concurrent imaging of metabolic and electric signals in the heart Cardiac rhythm disorders can result from disturbances in cardiac metabolism. These metabolic changes are tightly linked with specific cardiac electrophysiology (CEP) abnormalities, such as depressed excitability, impaired intra- and extracellular conductivities, wave propagation block, and alteration of conduction velocity, action potential amplitude, and duration. Novel findings shed light on how N-type channel function is modified by lipids The November 2009 issue of the Journal of General Physiology (JGP) contains two papers by the Rittenhouse laboratory that describe novel findings on how N-type voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) function is modified by lipids. General anesthetics lead to learning disabilities in animal models Studies by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have shown that blocking the NMDA receptor in immature rats leads to profound, rapid brain injury and disruption of auditory function as the animals mature. Eating right, not supplements, is best at keeping your good bacteria healthy, dietitian says Healthy eating, not supplements, is the best way to keep the good bacteria in your gut healthy, says a dietitian and researcher. More Calcium Current Events and Calcium News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||