The most physical development a human body goes through happens between birth to 18 years of age. Fostering healthy growth includes assuring the intake of nutrients the body wants and needs in order to grow and grow well! Bone health is one of the most important aspects of development, as it constitutes the structure of the body. Here are a few nutrients to promote healthy bones for children’s development.
Magnesium
Without magnesium, bones become brittle and weak. Magnesium increases bone density, meaning the strength of the bone is healthy and the bones will remain healthy for a long time. According to MedicineNet, lack of magnesium can result in osteoporosis, a condition in which the body loses bone material and bones become porous. Maintaining the density and solidity of bones will help prevent painful breaks and fractures, and pain with any pressure on bones. In addition, magnesium assists the body in the absorption and metabolization of another essential mineral for bone health—calcium.
Calcium
The most commonly found mineral in the body, calcium, is what bones are made up of. For bones to grow requires calcium! Babies are born with almost one hundred more bones than the adult has; those hundred bones (made of calcium) fuse together (using calcium) to make roughly two hundred bones that make up the skeleton of the adult body. Your teeth are the best, most accessible look at bone health that we have. According to Stellar Kids, calcium also helps build stronger teeth to prevent tooth decay. The rest of your bones work likewise: if your bones do not receive the necessary calcium to fortify them, they will decay. You know how much cavities can hurt and break your teeth. Don’t let that happen to the bones you can’t see!
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is like a gatekeeper for calcium. It helps the intestines absorb calcium, even catching the calcium that the kidneys try to get rid of! This absorption is what gets the calcium to the bones and lets it build bone matter. According to Medical News Today, a lack of vitamin D may result in bone softening. In children, this can manifest as “rickets” or, by extent, bow legs, as well as muscle weakness, wide joints, proneness to fractures, and bone malformation. Low vitamin D means low calcium and low magnesium!
Magnesium, calcium, and vitamin D should be a priority in maintaining children’s development and function. Keep your children healthy and strong by making sure they get plenty of the right nutrients!
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