Published: 04/26/2007 - Updated: 08/14/2019
Author: Dra. Loredana Lunadei
Specialists gathered at the "Roundtable on deficiencies of Calcium and Vitamin D in children and young Spanish" hosted by the Tomás Pascual Sanz Institute for Nutrition and Health, indicated yesterday that the Spanish do not consume the recommended intake of calcium and vitamin D to prevent complications in old age, as osteoporosis or other problems which involve the bones.
Professor of Nutrition and Food Science at the University San Pablo CEU, Gregorio Varela Moreiras, explained that bone is living tissue, which grows up to 30 years on average and the maintenance of which requires a very good calcium deposit in the young period. The lack of physical activity and poor diet lacking in dairy products weaken the bones, the expert pointed out, noting that the after 30 years you begin to lose bone mass.
For a young person to comply with the requirement of calcium, he or she should have a glass of milk for breakfast, a shake in the middle of the morning, a yogurt at lunch, a cheese sandwich at afternoon and a glass of milk again in the evening, said the head of the Internal Medicine Department of the Jiménez Días Foundation, Manuel Díaz Curiel. In this regard, Dr. Pilar Riobó, Endocrinology Service of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation, suggested to replace the missing calcium supplements with natural diet and said that even "it is easier to control the child to take a pill than taking milk. " However, it is much more effective absorption of calcium in the body when it comes to food rather than supplements, he acknowledged.
Specialists agreed highlighting the importance of vitamin D, needed for calcium to remain in the body. "We can have all the calcium, but if we lack the vitamin D, we will not leave it in the body", warned Diaz Curiel. However, vitamin D is low in the diet. Sun exposure is critical to increasing the levels of vitamin D and a recent comparative study between different European countries indicated that 96% of adolescents during the summer said they had taken the sun. However, in winter, vitamin D deficiency increases.
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