Calcium Foods and Bone Health of Adolescent Girls

描述（由申请人提供）：骨质疏松症是一个主要的健康问题。 青年时期骨骼的最佳发育对于预防骨质疏松症至关重要，骨质疏松症是一种由于骨量和骨质量降低而在晚年骨折的疾病。 如果骨骼发育能够在生长过程中得到最大化，那么年轻人将在开始成年时具有最佳的骨骼健康，并且在以后的岁月中不太可能患上骨质疏松症。 然而，青年人的骨骼健康问题尚未得到充分解决。 在这项申请中，我们建议延长我们的高钙饮食对青春期女孩骨质量的影响的四年干预研究。 本实验研究的目的是测试增加膳食钙摄入量至1500毫克/天对青少年女性骨质量增加的影响。 待检验的假设是：通过密度测定法和超声波测量，食用高钙饮食的青少年女性的骨质量会有更大的提高，然后是食用常规膳食钙摄入量的青少年女性。 该研究采用了一种实验设计，其中58名参与者（26名治疗组和32名对照组）将再随访4.5年，总计8.5年。 参与者是一个方便的样本谁是9岁时登记。 治疗组的女孩将继续给予高钙食物，每天至少提供1500毫克，而对照组的女孩将被要求继续食用他们的日常饮食。 在基线、每6个月和研究结束时进行的测量包括身高、体重、坦纳分期以及病史和社会史。 将每三个月确定一次体力活动和饮食摄入量。 在下一个周期资助这个项目将使我们能够从9岁到18.5岁连续跟踪这些年轻女性。 据我们所知，这将是第一个干预措施，以评估最佳钙摄入量对骨骼健康的影响，通过最高骨量和骨质量的增长。 这群热情的青少年参与者为我们提供了成功完成这个雄心勃勃的项目的信心。 从食物中增加钙摄入量对青少年女性骨质有积极影响的证据将为针对青少年女性、父母和护理人员的教育工作提供强有力的支持。 阴性结果将为进一步研究最大限度地促进骨骼发育的其他方法提供支持。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Osteoporosis is a major health problem. Optimum development of the skeleton during youth is crucial in prevention of osteoporosis, a condition that fractures bone late in life because of reduced bone mass and bone quality. If skeletal development can be maximized during growth, young people will begin adulthood with optimal bone health and be less likely to develop osteoporosis in later years. Yet bone health in youth has not been adequately addressed. In this application, we propose to extend our four-year intervention study of the effects of a high calcium diet on bone quality in pubertal girls. The aim of this experimental study is to test the effect of increasing dietary calcium intake to 1500 mg/day on increases in bone quality in adolescent females. The hypothesis to be tested is: adolescent females who consume a high calcium diet will have a greater increase in bone quality, as measured by densitometry and ultrasound, then adolescent females who consume their usual dietary calcium intake. The study uses an experimental design in which 58 participants (26 treatment and 32 control) will be followed for an additional 4.5 years for a total of 8.5 years. Participants are a convenience sample who were age 9 when enrolled. Girls in the treatment group will continue to be given high calcium foods to supply at least 1500 mg/day while girls in the control group will be asked to continue consuming their usual diet. Measurements to be made at baseline, every six months, and at the end of the study include height, weight, Tanner stage, and medical and social history. Usual physical activity and dietary intake will be determined every three months. Funding of this project in the next cycle would enable us to follow these young females continuously from age 9 to age 18.5. To our knowledge, this would be the first intervention to evaluate the effects of optimal calcium intake on bone health through out the period of highest bone mass and bone quality accrual. This enthusiastic group of adolescent participants provides us with confidence that we can successfully complete this ambitious project. Evidence of a positive effect of increased calcium intake from food sources on bone quality in adolescent females would provide strong support for educational efforts targeted at adolescent females, parents and care providers. Negative findings would provide support for further research into other methods of concomitant methods of maximizing skeletal development.