Health Articles

Milk : Child’s Play for Life
Everyone knows that happy, gurgling babies need to drink milk in order to grow bigger and stronger. But do you know that a baby’s need for milk actually begins when he is in his mother’s womb?

Most adults typically require 800mg of calcium daily to stave off the threat of osteoporosis during old age and to prevent the natural loss of bone density mass. During pregnancy, however, a woman would require more nutrients because part of the nutrients now goes into ensuring that the baby grows healthily. Because the building of the baby’s bones occur during pregnancy, more calcium is needed to ensure that the bones develop to be strong and hard. If not, the calcium needed by the growing baby will be taken from the calcium stored in his mother’s bones, hence weakening her bones. After birth, babies derive energy from the milk that they drink. Until the age of two, children are encouraged to drink full fat milk in order to absorb as much nutrients as possible. Once they are over two years of age, however, they can switch to low-fat milk to curb the possibility of obesity.
During their growing years, milk is especially important because it is not only a good source of calcium but it also contains other vital nutrients that will aid healthy growth. The fat in whole milk will provide energy while the protein found in milk is vital for nerve function, muscle contraction and blood clotting. Milk also contains Vitamin B, which is needed for the growth and health of the nervous system. Meanwhile, Vitamin A helps to maintain normal vision and good skin.

Calcium is especially important for children between the ages of 10 to 18 as this is the stage at which they are most physically active. This is also a critical bone-formation period in their lives, when peak bone mass is accumulated.
At this stage, children often need at least 1000mg of calcium daily. This is 200mg more than what is required for adults because children and teenagers are often more active than adults are. They walk, run and play strenuous sports like football and basketball, which make bones work against the pull of gravity.

These weight-bearing physical activities help to stimulate new bone tissue to form, thus making them stronger and denser. Weight-bearing exercise also makes muscles stronger and in turn, muscles help to make bones stronger when they push and tug against bones. As is obvious, the benefits of calcium and physical activity on bones and muscles are inter-related and manifold.

In addition, calcium is necessary for strong teeth as 99 per cent of the calcium in the human body is stored in the teeth and bones. As calcium is more easily absorbed by the body from milk than from vegetables, it is important for children to drink more than four glasses of milk daily in order to fulfill the calcium requirement. As most of the skeletal development of children is completed by the time they reach their 20s, it is of utmost importance that they take in enough calcium in their childhood to build a strong future. Build up a substantial bone density bank when you are young, and reap the benefits in your twilight years!