Most parents don’t pay much attention to their children’s bones when it comes to their health, but do young parents know that a healthy diet and lifestyle during childhood is important to prevent osteoporosis and fractures in old age? Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by weakened bones that result in fractures and has been called a “pediatric disease with consequences in old age” because the amount of bone acquired during childhood and adolescence plays a decisive role in bone health throughout life, and the healthy habits being formed during childhood determine the risk of fractures in old age. Whether or not osteoporosis is likely to occur in old age. Why is bone development during childhood important? Bone is the scaffolding for a child’s growing body, a living tissue that is constantly changing as old bone is removed and replaced by newly formed bone, like a bank account that deposits and expends bone tissue. During childhood and adolescence, bones grow in size and strength because more bone tissue is deposited than expended. The amount of bone tissue in the skeleton (called bone mass) continues to increase until it peaks around age 25, with girls gaining 90% of their bone mass by age 18 and boys by age 20, and the best time to “invest” in bone health is during childhood and adolescence, creating a skeletal savings bank for children. The more you save when you’re young, the longer you’ll have to grow up. Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by weakened bones and a tendency to fracture. If someone has osteoporosis, it means that the balance in their bone tissue bank account is already low, and if the bone loss is significant, even sneezing or bending over to tie a shoe can cause fractures in the vertebrae of the lower back, as well as fractures in the bones of the hip, ribs and wrist. Osteoporosis is most common in older adults, but can also occur in youth or middle age. Reaching ideal peak bone mass at a young age and practicing good bone health behaviors can prevent or reduce the risk of osteoporosis. How can I help my child establish and maintain bone health habits? The best way to help children develop healthy habits is for parents to influence their children with healthy habits. This is because the influence of parents’ words on their children is so great that their parents’ habits, good or bad, have a direct impact on their children. The two most important bone health habits are proper nutrition and adequate physical exercise. Proper nutrition includes a diet containing adequate calcium and vitamin D. Most children can get vitamin D through ultraviolet light from the sun, egg yolks, and fortified milk, but there are many children who fail to consume adequate amounts of calcium in their diet. It is generally accepted that the daily intake of calcium should be around 500mg at 1-3 years of age, around 800mg at 4-8 years of age, and around 1300mg at 9-18 years of age. Many foods contain calcium, with the richest sources being milk, dairy products and soy products. If dietary calcium intake is insufficient, oral calcium preparations should be supplemented, and in order to facilitate absorption, each calcium supplement should be no more than 500mg. How does physical exercise benefit the bones? Muscles get stronger the more you use them, and so do bones. For children, any sport is beneficial, but the most beneficial sports for bones are weight-bearing sports, such as walking, running, jumping, dancing, tennis, basketball, gymnastics and soccer, etc. Participating in more outdoor activities can increase vitamin D levels in children’s bodies. Swimming and cycling promote overall health in children, but are not weight-bearing sports, so they do not increase bone density. Other organized sports can add interest and increase confidence, but should not be used as the only form of exercise for bones. The main thing is to try to sit less, walk more, and move more, whether at home or away. The best gift parents can give their children that will last a lifetime is a love of sports.