AR-News: (US) ABC Evening News-horrible story on the "need for kids to drink milk"

[MEATSTINKS at aol.com]

No Minor Breaks
Doctors Report Rise in Broken Bones in Children

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/Living/WNTchildren_broken031003.html
By John McKenzie



Oct. 3— Across the country, doctors are reporting a steady increase in the 
number of children with broken bones. 



"The fact of the matter is that children are breaking [bones] all over," said 
Dr. Laura Tosi, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Children's National Medical 
Center in Washington, D.C. "It's a very high incidence of elbow fractures, as 
well as fractures in the mid-part of the arm, and in the hand." 
A recently published study by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., found that 
over the last 30 years the number of forearm fractures in that city has 
climbed more than 32 percent in boys, and 56 percent in girls. 
Researchers say they are not sure why the fracture rate is rising. But they 
suspect a major reason is that children are not getting enough calcium, which 
is essential for strong bones. 
"Calcium deficiency is the major dietary deficiency in America's children 
today," Dr. Duane Alexander, director of the National Institute of Child Health 
and Human Development, told ABCNEWS. 
According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 86 percent 
of teenage girls and 64 percent of teenage boys are "calcium deficient"; in 
other words, they lack the recommended daily amount (RDA) of calcium, which is 
1,300 milligrams, the equivalent of about four 8-ounce glasses of milk a day. 
"Over the last 20 to 30 years, there's been a shift away from milk as the 
standard drink at meals and for increased use of soft drinks and juices, and 
other drinks by kids at all ages," said Alexander. 
Much Greater Long-Term Risk 
Calcium from milk is considered ideal because it's highly concentrated and 
easily absorbed by the body. Milk also contains potassium, magnesium and protein 
that are essential for healthy bones. 
"Without adequate milk consumption it's virtually impossible for a child to 
get the calcium intake they need in their diets," said Alexander. 
And a child has critical calcium needs. 
Calcium is effective at building bones, but researchers say only until the 
age of 20. After that, regardless of how much you take, bone mass does not 
increase, and the slow process of bone loss soon begins. 
"One of the major concerns that we have," Alexander said, " is that there is 
no make-up time. If you don't get all the calcium you need in childhood you 
can't go back and make up for it in adult life because it doesn't get in there." 
The best calcium can do for adults is slow the loss of bone. 
So calcium-deficient children today are at much greater risk of developing 
osteoporosis as they age, and even more broken bones. 

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