Early calcium intake fights osteoporosis.

Young children may benefit later in life from getting more than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of calcium in their diets now, report a group of Indiana University School of Medicine researchers. "The study showed that, even when a preadolescent child's normal dietary calcium intake met the RDA (800 mg), additional calcium significantly increased the gain of bone mass," notes C. Conrad Johnston, Jr., the principal investigator. "If the increase in bone mass can be maintained into adult life, we would expect a lower risk of osteoporotic fractures in those with the greater bone mass."

Calcium intake is essential during childhood because more than 90% of bone density develops by age 18. According to researchers, 80% of this is determined genetically. "It is what we can do to maximize our potential with that other 20% that interests us," Johnston indicates.

Forty-five healthy identical twin pairs completed the three-year study. All...