Info about Nutrition

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Nutrition and Skeletal Growth

Growth of the skeleton (height) is typically completed during adolescence by both girls and boys, and bone mass is practically maximized at this same time. For a large majority of girls in the USA, the bone mass achieved during this adolescent period is considered to be less than optimal because of limited selections of nutrient-dense foods and preferences for low nutrient- dense foods. Concern has arisen that girls, and possibly boys, are not getting sufficient calcium and other essential nutrients from milk and related dairy products, because so many of these nutrients are essential for the growth of skeletal tissue, and also that adolescent females may be consuming excessive amounts of phosphorus, which alters the calcium: phosphorus ratio in a deleterious way (see Calcium and Phosphorus sections).


Although not the only nutrient required for the extracellular mineral phase of bone, calcium may be the limiting nutrient for mineralization. This divalent cation is provided in the diet by only a few foods that are commonly used and available in most countries.


In the USA, dairy foods (exclusive of butter) and calcium-fortified foods provide the bulk of the cation, i.e., approximately 60–70%, in the diets of adolescents.Dark green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, provide modest, but important, amounts of calcium.