The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released the report, “Optimizing Bone Health and Calcium Intakes of Infants, Children and Adolescents.” The key elements within this revised report include:

• Recognition that kids are not meeting calcium recommendations, putting them at risk for fractures and osteoporosis
• Call to action for pediatricians to screen/assess calcium intake
• Recommendation for children to consumer 3 servings of milk, flavored milk, cheese or yogurt each day, choosing lowfat and non fat varieties often (4 servings per day recommended for adolescents
• Importance of vitamin D and physical activity, in addition to calcium
• Call to action for parental/family role modeling

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Too little milk, sunshine and exercise: It's an anti-bone trifecta. And for some kids, shockingly, it's leading to rickets, the soft-bone scourge of the 19th century.

But cases of full-blown rickets are just the red flag: Bone specialists say possibly millions of seemingly healthy children aren't building as much strong bone as they should a gap that may leave them more vulnerable to bone-cracking osteoporosis later in life than their grandparents are. "This potentially is a time-bomb," says Dr. Laura Tosi, bone health chief at Children's National Medical Center in Washington.

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By 2020, One In Two Americans Over Age 50 Will Be At Risk For Fractures From Osteoporosis Or Low Bone Mass The Surgeon General issues first-ever report on nation's bone health

U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., warned today in a new report that by 2020, half of all American citizens older than 50 will be at risk for fractures from osteoporosis and low bone mass if no immediate action is taken by individuals at risk, doctors, health systems, and policymakers. This new report, "Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General" says that 10 million Americans over the age of 50 have osteoporosis, the most common bone disease, while another 34 million are at risk for developing osteoporosis. And each year, roughly 1.5 million people suffer a bone fracture related to osteoporosis.

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Question: I have been an avid (some would say excessive) exerciser and have kept my weight down. I thought this would keep me healthy. But now I am I my early 50's and I worry whether my bones are as strong as the rest of me. How can I make sure they are?

Answer: I am going to wax personal in my answer to your question. I, too, have exercised a lot. In fact, in my childhood I was an aspiring dancer. Hours of grueling ballet classes kept me classically thin (or to be more precise, downright skinny.)

But as my height surpassed my talent and I met with rejection in the dance world, I figured I wasn't destined to be a ballerina. And, when I reached my 50's, my skeletal past began to haunt me.

Had my bones, like those of many dancers, been weakened by excessive exercise and weight loss? Had I consumed enough calcium? Probably not. In my teens, Coke and coffee were the beverages of choice.

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April 6, 2004 (Washington, D.C) - Even though the majority of women aged 45 and older have at least two risk factors for osteoporosis, only 15 percent of those women not diagnosed by a doctor believe they are at risk for the disease, according to a new survey conducted by Roper Public Affairs and Media on behalf of the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF).

NOF prevalence estimates show the number of women age 50 and older who have osteoporosis or are at risk for developing the disease will increase from almost 30 million in 2002 to over 35 million in 2010. Osteoporosis, or porous bone, is a devastating disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and increased susceptibility to fractures, especially of the hip, spine and wrist, although any bone can be affected.

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A physician in California has studied the prevalence of osteoporosis among Hispanics, the West and Southwest's largest growing minority, and has found that osteoporosis in this population group is catching up to the occurrence found in Caucasians and Asians, to the surprise of many. Dr. J. R. Lopez further found that in answer to the question, "Have you ever had a bone density test?", the following was true, indicating that the Hispanic population is underserved:

The study compared the NHANES III, NORA 2001, and the CHIS 2001 (California Health Information Survey) data on Hispanics, Caucasians and Asians. All participants were over 50 years old. On both the NHANES and CHIS data sets, White women's prevalence was slightly higher than Hispanics-59% to 49%, and 42% to 36% respectively. Asian women matched the White women in the CHIS data set. Dr. Lopez' conclusions: "Hispanics are California's population growth engine. Osteoporosis is more common in Hispanics that previously believed, and we need an Hispanic community osteoporosis education and intervention program." For more information, contact mdmjrlmd@aol.com

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