EATING food that are high in calcium will help prevent bone-related health concerns later in life, said the Food and Nutrition Research Institute Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST).

Among the foods that have high calcium content based on the Food Composition Tables (FCT) published by FNRI-DOST, are milk and milk products, anchovies (dilis, dulong), sardines (tawilis, sinilyasi, tamban), shrimp (alamang, taguntong), crabs (talangka), snail (kuhol, susong pilipit), seaweeds (balbalulang, gamet, kulot), root crop (kamoteng puti), dried green mung beans, oats, and green leafy vegetables (dahon ng ampalaya, lubi-lubi, malunggay, saluyot, himbabao).

“Drinking milk and eating foods high in calcium at an early age may be an important strategy to reduce osteoporotic fracture rates in the later life”, says Aida C. Mallillin, Senior Science Research Specialist of the FNRI-DOST.

Mallilin led a group that recently studied the effect of school-based milk feeding among six to eight year old children in Metro Manila by measuring the bone mineral content and bone mineral density using the dual energy x-ray absorptiometry.

At baseline, Ms. Mallillin noted that the children participating in the study consume only 49 percent (%) of the recommended nutrient intake for calcium per day.

After twelve months of milk feeding, the research team found that the children that drank milk with an additional 278 milligrams (mg) of calcium per day, had greater increase in bone mineral content and bone mineral density than the children who did not drink milk.

The FNRI-DOST recommends 700 mg of calcium per day for seven to nine year-old children.

In addition to calcium, the bones also need sufficient supplies of other minerals such as magnesium, fluoride, zinc, copper, and manganese. Vitamins D, C, and K are likewise needed in the right amount for optimal bone development and metabolism.

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