5 Things You Need to Know About Childhood Bone Diseases

1. Childhood Bone Diseases Are Treatable

Childhood bone diseases usually are treatable. A balanced diet, adequate physical activity that is weight-bearing--such as walking, running, dancing and playing ball--and tobacco avoidance are the best ways to build healthy bones and prevent childhood bone diseases. Osteogenesis imperfecta comprises a rare group of genetic childhood bone diseases that causes weak, easily broken bones.

2. Strong, Healthy Bones Are Built in Childhood

Building healthy bones is a lifelong process that starts in childhood. In fact, your bones achieve their greatest mass before age 30, with 90 percent of peak mass reached by age 18 for girls and age 20 for boys. So it is important now to help your child build healthy bones to last him throughout his life.

3. Calcium Builds Healthy Bones

If you're a parent, chances are you've heard yourself echoing your own parents time and time again when you tell your child to drink her milk. But how much milk do children really need to build healthy bones and prevent childhood bone diseases? The answer varies depending upon their age. From ages 4 to 8, children need about 800 milligrams, or 2 1/2 glasses of low-fat or nonfat milk per day. For children ages 9 to 18, the daily calcium requirement nearly doubles to 1,300 milligrams, or 4 1/3 cups of milk. If your child doesn't like milk, daily calcium requirements can be met with other calcium-rich foods such as cheese, yogurt, tofu, salmon, calcium-fortified orange juice and almonds. If she loves ice cream, that is another delicious way to get calcium into her diet—in moderation, of course. To absorb calcium, children require vitamin D, which the body makes from sunlight. Vitamin D also is added to milk and some other foods.

4. Exercise Helps Prevent Childhood Bone Diseases

Scientists are discovering the benefits of exercise to prevent an increasing number of diseases, and childhood bone diseases are no exception. To build healthy bones, exercise must to be weight-bearing, which simply means that a person is supporting her own weight. Encourage your child to walk, run, skip, dance, jump rope or play ball.

5. Maintaining a Healthy Weight Aids Bone Health

Aside from the many health risks associated with being overweight in childhood, weighing too much may also contribute to childhood bone diseases. Excess weight can put too much strain on developing bones. While being underweight may not contribute directly to childhood bone diseases, the restricted diets followed by some dieting teens can result in inadequate calcium levels, which can cause improper bone formation. By helping your child maintain a healthy weight through a balanced diet and adequate physical activity, you are helping him build strong bones.