Act Early to Prevent Osteoporosis

It is never too early for individuals to start protecting theirbones. A clinical trial of preadolescent girls found that theyneed to increase their calcium intake to build bone mass andprevent osteoporosis in old age. The current study, reportedrecently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and theJournal of Nutrition, is the first analysis involving bone developmentin girls aged 8 to 13. The 354 participants weretracked for up to 7 years. The results of the study demonstratedthat girls'bone mass increased significantly when theysupplemented their calcium intake.