Drinking milk for strong bones has become almost as common as the old adage ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away.’ But for adolescent females, new research has revealed foods rich in vitamin D may offer better protection.
Over the course of seven years, researchers at the Children’s Hospital Boston followed the bone health of more than 6,700 girls, ranging in age from 9 to 15.
During the follow-up period of the study, published in the online edition of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, nearly four per cent of the girls developed a stress fracture and it was discovered vitamin D is associated with lower risk.
Researchers noted while increasing calcium intake is usually recommended for bone strength, the study found dairy and calcium may be unrelated to preventing stress fractures developing.
They also found for girls who participated in at least one hour of high impact activity each day, the link to vitamin D as a bone protectant was even stronger.
Your Comments