Life Sciences Commons^™

Adolescent Girls:Calcium Intake And Sources, Laura Agard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Calcium is an essential nutrient required for normal growth and development of the skeleton and teeth. Adequate calcium intake is critical during early adolescence to optimize peak bone mass and decrease the risk of osteoporosis later in life. Previous researchers, however, have concluded that adolescent girls consume insufficient calcium to meet the demands of rapid skeletal growth. National surveys conducted prior to 1997 showed that t.he major sources of calcium for adolescent girls were milk and milk products. Shortly after the new Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI's) for calcium were released in 1997, calcium fortified foods became more readily available on …