Volume 2, 2002
Fortified Cereals Can Help Fill Calcium Gap
Getting more calcium into on-the-go kids could be easier than you
think.
In a study involving 27 6- to 9-year-old children, CNRC researchers
found that ready-to-eat cereals fortified with a moderate amount
of calcium can help kids meet their calcium needs without interfering
with the absorption of iron.
 "Simply
adding calcium to a food product is not enough," said Dr. Steven
Abrams, professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and
a CNRC mineral researcher. "It is also essential to ensure
that the added calcium is actually absorbed and does not interfere
with the absorption of other key nutrients present in the food."
Adequate calcium intake in childhood is thought to be essential
for reducing the risk for bone fractures among children and osteoporosis
later in life. However, government data suggest that only about
half of all children in the study's age group consume the recommended
amount.
For the study, the children were given two one-ounce servings of
calcium-fortified, ready-to-eat cereal per day for 14 days. Half
the children received cereal fortified with 156 mg. of calcium per
ounce, which is about half the amount of calcium present in eight
ounces of milk. The others were given a non-fortified cereal that
contained 39 mg. of calcium per ounce. The children ate one serving
of the cereal at breakfast with milk, the other as an afternoon
snack without milk. During the last three days of the study, the
children not only maintained their cereal regimes but also ate identical
meals while staying at the CNRC. Special "tracers," baked
into the cereal by General Mills for the study, enabled Abrams to
measure the total amount of calcium and iron each of the children
absorbed.
"All the children absorbed about the same amount of iron per
day, but those who ate the fortified cereal also absorbed about
50 milligrams more calcium," Abrams said. Fifty milligrams
is about the same amount of calcium that children absorb from four
ounces of milk.
According to Abrams, finding no effect on iron absorption was important.
"Increasing the amount of one nutrient in the diet can sometimes
work against the absorption of others," he said.
"It's clear that many kids could benefit from having other
foods that they enjoy and will eat on a regular basis enriched with
calcium," said Abrams. "Calcium-fortified ready-to-eat
cereal, which already makes a significant contribution to the overall
nutritional quality of many children's diets, is one of those options."
|
