Building a bone bank- saving up for the adult years               

Most parents at some time or another have encouraged the littlies to get a piggy bank to save their hard earned pocket money for the future. Many kiddies can see the merits of putting a few coins aside each week in return for a blow out in the toy department in a few months time. Wouldn’t it be great if our little ones could see the benefit of depositing into the bone bank to ensure strong healthy bones into adulthood? 

Looking 50 years into the future is probably a hard ask for most kids, yet the ramifications of not scrimping and saving to deposit into the bone piggy bank before adulthood are pretty dire. Low bone density (osteopenia) and osteoporosis (the disease of increased risk of bone fracture resulting from low bone density) are thought of as the silent epidemic with over 56% of women and 29% of men over the age of 60 suffering from a bone fracture due to crumbly, osteoporotic bones. Despite the assertion that this is a disease bought about by old age, peak bone mass is reached between 18 and 25, so by 30 – 35 bone loss has already begun. The truth of the matter is that what your kids and adolescents eat and do now may be the difference between happy twilight years or an old age confined to a hospital bed.

You see, bones are dynamic living tissue being constantly broken down and rebuilt. During childhood, they are built at a faster rate than they are broken down resulting in bone growth. By the time we reach adulthood, bone remodelling slows down and bones start to be broken down faster than they can be replaced. So, if we get to adulthood with poor bone density, we have less bone in the bank and can easily slip into bone bankruptcy – osteopaenia and osteoporosis.

So, we should feed our kids more calcium because that’s what bones are made of, right? Well, yes and no. Minerals calcium and phosphorus bring rigidity to bone; giving the bone hardness. But bones are not made with calcium and phosphorus alone. In fact research suggests that supplementing children with calcium alone has little impact on bone density and does not reduce the risk of fracture, in childhood or later life, to any appreciable degree. In fact some research suggests that supplementation with isolated calcium in older people may actually produce brittle bones which shatter with the smallest knock.

This is because bones need to be more than just hard; they need to have flexibility and the ability to resist a multitude of playground knocks and kitchen or hallway falls. In order to build bones which have flexibility and tensile strength we need a flexible matrix; this is provided by collagen. Collagen acts as scaffolding in the bones, providing the framework for which the minerals can be deposited on. This synergistic relationship gives healthy bones the ability to withstand knocks whilst also being able to survive pulling and twisting. So, in order to build strong healthy bones to last a lifetime, we need to ensure our kiddies are provided with all the nutrients needed not only to mineralise bone but also to build collagen.

$$ High interest deposits to the bone bank $$

These nutrients and activities will give your kids a high return on their early life investments into the bone bank.

Sunshine!

Exposing about 40% of a little (or large) body (torso is best) to unimpeded sunshine, for between 15 minutes to an hour (depending on skin type and age), between 10am and 2pm facilitates the production of optimal vitamin D. Essential vitamin D has a wide range of positive benefits and is a primary regulator of bone growth in children and remodelling in adults. New bone, which has the flexibility and consistency of rubber, absorbs calcium, phosphate and other minerals to harden. Vitamin D is essential to this process because it helps the body to absorb minerals from the foods you eat. A vitamin D deficiency can lead to poor bone growth and mineralisation leading to weak bones with little or no compressive strength. Unfortunately certain cultural dress requirments, social pressures of maintaing light coloured skin and sun scaremongering with the advent of slip slap slop have robbed some children of the vitamin D advantage. Children and adults with darker skin will require more sun exposure than those with lighter skin. For many, this is a difficult regime to maintain year round to ensure adequate vitamin D levels. It is now well recognised that moderate to severe vitamin D deficiency is very common in New Zealand, especially in children; the re-emergence of rickets in New Zealand is testament to this. Vitamin D3 supplementation is recommended where sun exposure is inadequate. We recommend Radiance® Kids Vitamin D3 to help ensure maintenance of optimal vitamin D.

Minerals

Alongside calcium, the body needs a wide range of minerals to support and build strong, healthy dense bones. Among these are magnesium, silica, boron, manganese and zinc. Magnesium is of specific significance as not only is 60% of the body’s magnesium stored in the bones, but magnesium influences how calcium is transported out of the gastrointestinal tract and taken up into the bone. It also helps to control hundreds of enzymatic reactions in cells that influence bone density. In addition, this busy mineral is required for the formation of the flexible bone matrix mentioned earlier. Foods which will deposit a full complement of minerals into your kids bone bank include seaweed, sardines, salmon, lean meat, whole grains, egg, figs, dates, raisins, nuts, seeds, chickpeas, broccoli, leafy greens, fresh fruit and molasses. For those fussy eaters or children just not getting enough mineral rich food in their diet, we recommend supplementation with Radiance® Kids Bone

Probiotics

Believe it or not, microscopic intestinal flora has a large role to play in building healthy bones. The way these diminutive bacteria help build bone is by producing vitamin K. This essential vitamin is intrinsically involved with bone growth, stimulating the uptake of calcium into bones, whilst reducing the action of osteoclasts (the cells which break down bone). Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, Kim chi, kefir and yoghurt naturally contain probiotics which can help to bolster kid’s probiotic populations which are often decimated by antibiotics, fussy eating and stress. To give your kids a real probiotic boost, supplements can provide billions of probiotics just waiting to set up shop and start making vitamin K. We recommend Radiance® Kids Probiotic.

Vitamin C

Bone matrix contains a high concentration of the building block, collagen. Vitamin C is essential for collagen production. Without vitamin C, bones cannot grow and develop into big adult bones. Children's bones are particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of a vitamin C deficiency. To get decent amounts of vitamin C into little bodies go for a diet that provides lots of high vitamin C fruit like guava, kiwifruit, strawberries, lemons, limes, berries passion fruit and oranges and vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, capsicum, potato, grapefruit and Brussels sprouts (if you can get kids to eat them!). And remember, vitamin C is lost as the food ages and during heating, so buy fresh and make sure your kids eat some fruit and vegetables raw! For extra assurance, we recommend Radiance® Kids Vitamin C

Protein

Adequate protein is needed to produce collagen throughout the body; good sources include fish, eggs, lean meat, nuts, seeds and legumes. Essential Fatty Acids: Docosahexaenoic Acid or DHA intake from fish oils has been shown in one study to be positively correlated to bone growth and optimal bone density. Although the mechanism of action is unknown, it is thought that DHA may help regulate calcium handling or promote collagen formation. As DHA is intrinsically involved in brain and eye development alongside bone development in both children and adults, it makes sense to increase the intake of high DHA tuna, salmon, anchovies and sardines and preserve not only the bones but the eyes and brain as well. For those not eating enough DHA rich seafoods, we recommend supplementation with Efamol® Efalex or Efamega capsules.

Regular weight bearing exercise

Bone is live tissue and responds to stress placed upon it by improving the density to withstand the pressure. To trigger bone formation exercise needs to involve bearing weight so cycling and swimming, although beneficial, do not help to build bones. Get the kids out there dancing, skipping, running, jogging and playing hop scotch and ball games!! 

Piggy Bone-Bank Robbers

As there are nutrients and activities which promote optimal bone density, strength and flexibility, there are also anti-nutrients that commit daylight robbery on our kid’s bones.

Dairy products 

Milk, was and still is thought of as the bone boosting drink that all kiwi kids love. Unfortunately, that assumption no longer stands true. The raw, fresh milk our grandparents drank was far superior to the processed and reconstituted milk which lines our supermarket shelves today.

For a start our entire dairy range is pasteurised – this transforms the calcium contained in dairy into an insoluble form which we will no longer absorb. The pasteurisation process also destroys the vitamin A and vitamin C found in raw milk, impacting negatively on the production of collagen for a strong bone matrix. Homogenisation, a process used to extend shelf life, also creates substances in the milk fat fraction that are implicated in the increase in inflammatory heart disease. Furthermore, dairy is naturally rich in phosphorous which, amongst other actions, promotes calcium excretion from the bones through the kidneys. So, despite what TV and the dairy companies tells us - loading kids up on milk and dairy food is not helping them build bones that will last a lifetime.

Sodium fluoride

This mineral is added to most of the water supply in New Zealand at the does of 0.6 to 1.0 ppm (parts per million). Research suggests that this amount of fluoride coupled with the small amounts from food and ingested toothpaste may present a big problem to bones. In fact it is shown to cause skeletal fluorosis which makes bones brittle and more prone to fracture. More and more children are developing the mottling on their teeth charastic of fluorosis, a defect in tooth enamel resulting from excessive fluoride being taken into the bloodstream, most commonly from fluoridated drinking water. In mild forms it looks like tiny white spots on the enamel and is hardly visible. In more severe cases the spots become brown or even black, eventually resulting in tooth decay. One scientist states “the teeth are the window to the bones. If you've seen the damage to the teeth, what damage can you not see?" In other words, if fluoride is having an observably detrimental effect on the surface of your teeth, you can guarantee that it's also damaging something else inside your body, such as your bones. Fluoride can also damage the parathyroid gland leading to hyperparathyroidism, the uncontrolled secretion of parathyroid hormones. These hormones regulate calcium concentration in the body. An elevated parathyroid hormone concentration results in a depletion of calcium in bone structures and rapidly demineralised bones. Fortunately alongside bottled distilled water there are also numerous water filters which can remove fluoride from tap water.

Stress

From coping with bullies, to friendship and homework worries, kids and adolescents have their fair share of stress and worry. Unfortunately, stress activates nearly every biochemical pathway involved in the resorption and loss of bone. It Inhibits bone building , activates the cells which break down bone and decreases the amount of minerals able to be absorbed through the digestive system. Provide kids with a safe place to talk about their worries and fears, and get them out running and playing, this can go a long way towards reducing the bone busting effects of stress on little bodies.

Fizzy Drinks

These drinks have somehow, over the last 10 years, become way too popular and are far too easily accessable to kiwi kids. The way by which they contribute to poor bone quality is two fold: as carbon dioxide from these carbonated beverages hits the water in your blood, it turns into carbonic acid. Too much acid in the blood can lead to a condition called acidosis, in an attempt to alkalise the blood the body mobilises calcium from the bones! Of additional concern is the amount of phosphoric acid present in most fizzy drinks. When phosphorus is too high, the body takes calcium out of the bones to bind with the phosphorus and remove it from the blood via the kidneys. Bones become brittle and likely to fracture as a result. Of additional concern is the burgeoning energy drink industry which kids seem to have wholeheartedly embraced. Alongside being a fizzy drink with all the aforementioned problems, the high caffeine content results in increased urinary losses of the bone hardeners calcium and magnesium. Of course all fizzy drinks contain a lot of sugar, but that is a story in and of its self!!

High sugar and refined carbohydrate Intake

Sugar definitely has an antagonistic relationship with bone. It diminishes the absorption and transport of vitamin C, needed for collagen matrix formation, whilst also increasing the excretion of calcium and reducing absorption of magnesium. If that is not enough, sugar induces stress chemicals exerting a real whammy for the bone bank. Often the foods marketed for kids are full of sugar, colourings, trans fats and not much else - this will do little to promote bone-bank savings!

Inactivity

Perhaps one of the worst bone bandits. There is an increasingly insidious culture of children obsessed by video games, sitting in darkened rooms gaming at every opportunity. Similarly, children are no longer walking to and from school; rather they are dropped off and picked up. Property sizes are also getting smaller with less and less yard to safely run and play in. Not only does this deplete vitamin D stores but it also reduces bone density as the bones are not under any healthy stress. This is beautifully illustrated by people who are immobilised - they experience significant loss of bone density. Are we destined for a generation of older adults immobilized due to poor bone density?

Medications

Certain medications prescribed for childhood diseases such as eczema and asthma can cause serious loss of bone density. The main culprits are drugs named corticosteroids. While these drugs can reduce unpleasant symptoms of these disorders; they unfortunately directly reduce bone building mineral absorption and increase bone breakdown and mineral excretion. Even low dose oral corticosteroids over a period as short as 2-3 months can result in as much as 12% loss of bone. There is even evidence to suggest that the use of strong topical corticosteroids for skin inflammation can contribute to bone loss.

So in short, make sure your kids deposit a healthy, balanced, nutritious diet, supplements when needed and lots of sunshine into the bone bank whilst withdrawing all the anti-nutrients. This will help ensure a lifetime of credits in the bone-bank for a healthier, more active and happy mid-life and retirement!