Bone Health

Throughout life, you never get new bones. So for a lifetime of health, take care of your bones from a young age. Healthy bones in early life decrease chances of having osteoporosisvlater in life. Osteoporosis is a condition when bones become fragile, making them easy to fracture and break.

Building Strong Bones

Getting enough calcium and weight-bearing physical activity during the tween and teen years is extremely important because that is the time period of most rapid skeletal growth and development. Young people in this age group have calcium needs that they can't make up for later in life.

Teenagers build more than 25 percent of adult bone. By the time teens finish their growth spurts around age 17, 90 percent of their adult bone mass is established.

Calcium and Strong Bones

Your body continually removes and replaces small amounts of calcium from your bones. If your body removes more calcium than it replaces, your bones will become weaker and have a greater chance of breaking. Plenty of calcium is found in milk and dairy products.

Other good sources of calcium:

• Dark green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli
• Foods with calcium added, such as calcium-fortified tofu, orange juice, soy beverages, and breakfast cereals or breads

Weight-Bearing Exercise and Bone Health

Bones are living tissue. Weight-bearing physical activity causes new bone tissue to form and reinforce the bones, making them stronger. When muscles push and tug against bones during physical activity, bones and muscles become stronger.