The Evidence

 Do Australian Children Consume Enough Calcium? No!

More than half of all Australian children are not consuming their recommended dietary intake (RDI) of calcium and their dairy food intake is less than recommended, putting them at risk of poor bone health in both the short and long term.

Eighty-two per cent of children aged two to 11 years consume less than the recommended three serves of dairy foods (milk, cheese and yogurt) a day, according to our last National Nutrition Survey.

Does Consuming Calcium and Dairy Foods Help Build Unbeatable Bones? Yes! 

Several studies have demonstrated that adding calcium to the diets of pre-pubertal children increases bone mineral density (BMD) by 2-6 per cent, depending on the skeletal site measured (eg. hip, spine etc). Likewise, a study of teenage girls showed that drinking milk increased bone strength through enhanced BMD and bone mass.

A recent New Zealand study was conducted with children between the ages of three and ten years who avoided cows' milk. They were found to have low calcium levels, were shorter, had smaller bones, and lower BMD than an equivalent group of milk-drinking children and therefore, were more likely to experience a fracture.

Over a two-year study period, the children who avoided milk were shown to be two-and-a-half times more likely to break a bone than those who drank milk. The study showed that children who did not drink cows' milk did not consume enough other high-calcium foods to compensate for their lack of milk consumption.

Once a child breaks a bone - especially at a young age - they are more likely to suffer further fractures during growth. In fact, research has shown the risk of fracture almost doubles after a child suffers one fracture, and triples after a second fracture.

The consumption of milk during childhood has flow-on effects in later life. Low milk consumption during childhood and adolescence has been linked to lower bone mass and an increased risk of osteoporotic fractures in adulthood. This further highlights the importance of consuming dairy foods for growing and developing healthy bones in childhood and adolescence.

Now go to Dairy for Bones.