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African American Youth Fall Short On Calcium

PHILADELPHIA (June 1, 2004) - Ninety-five percent of African American teen girls and 77 percent of African American teen boys don't get the bone-building calcium their growing bodies need, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

African American teens drink less milk than their Caucasian peers, and their calcium intake is significantly lower. African American females (ages 12 to19) fare worse; on average, they drink less than one glass of milk a day and only get half the 1,300 mg of calcium they need daily.

The teen years are crucial bone-building years when the calcium and vitamin D in milk is critical yet often missed because of the increased consumption of soda and juice drinks as well as misinformation about lactose intolerance, says the National Medical Association (NMA), the leading national organization representing African American physicians.

African American teens drink about 1 cup of fruit drink and soda a day, while girls drink more than one cup and boys more than two cups of soda every day. That's troubling, according to Patricia Kennedy, a registered dietitian and health professional programs coordinator for Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association.

"In a survey of African American teens, 23 percent of the non-milk drinkers say they avoid milk due to lactose intolerance," Kennedy says. "But many people with lactose intolerance can still enjoy dairy."

Misinformation about lactose intolerance can lead people to unnecessarily cut dairy from the diet, according to Jeanette Newton Keith, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago and NMA committee member. "Yet, milk provides calcium plus eight other essential nutrients, and without milk it is very difficult to consume adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D," she says.

Leading health researchers say that calcium from dairy is key to osteoporosis prevention. "Research shows that minority women are at a much greater risk for developing osteoporosis than previously believed," Keith says. "Doctors and parents need to help kids and teens focus on preventing this disease by incorporating milk and other milk products into the daily eating plan."

Tips for Tolerance

The NMA recommends the following tips to gradually add dairy foods to the diet to help get the three to four daily servings that growing bodies need:
Drink milk in small portions throughout the day with meals. Most people can comfortably enjoy an 8-ounce glass of milk.
Look for lactose-reduced or lactose-free milk in the dairy case at your store.
Enjoy aged hard cheeses, such as Cheddar, Colby, Swiss and Parmesan, which are naturally low in lactose and easy to enjoy.
Make yogurt part of your daily meal plan. Live, active cultures in yogurt help digest the lactose for you.
Look for lactase enzyme caplets at your drug store and take along with each serving of dairy.
Check with your doctor for diagnosis of lactose intolerance and be sure to follow his or her advice.

For more tips on lactose intolerance, a free consumer brochure called "The Lowdown on Lactose Intolerance: Making the Most of Milk," is available. Visit www.whymilk.com to obtain a copy of the brochure.

Source: Food Surveys Research Group, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Food and Nutrient Intakes by Individuals in the United States, by Race, 1995-96. Table Set 11; Ages 12-19.

The survey was conducted with a sample of 508 African American 9-18-year-olds. Survey respondents were drawn from the CyberPulse Advisory Panel, and the sample was supplemented by individuals from the Survey Sampling, Inc. online panel. These panels have been carefully selected to closely match U.S. population demographics. The research was compiled by Impulse Research Corporation on behalf of Dairy Management, Inc., 2001.

FACT SHEET

African American teens fall short of calcium recommendations.

95 percent of African American teen girls' and 77 percent of African American teen boys' diets fall short of daily calcium requirements.
Kids and teens ages 9-18 need 1,300 mg or three to four servings of milk and Milk Group foods per day.
African American girls get approximately 650 mg of calcium daily and African American boys get approximately 900 mg of calcium daily.

African American teen boys and girls drink less milk than their Caucasian peers do.

African American girls drink on average only about 1/2 cup of milk per day compared to Caucasian girls who drink slightly less than 1 cup of milk per day.
African American boys drink about half of the amount of milk that Caucasian boys drink per day, which is less than 1 1/2 cups.

African American adolescents drink more fruit drinks/ades and soft drinks than milk each day.

Girls drink almost 1 cup of fruit drinks/ades a day and more than 1 cup of soft drinks every day.
Boys drink more than 1 cup of fruit drinks/ades a day and almost 2 cups of soda a day.

Table Set 11; Ages 12-19.

A survey of African American kids and teens on their attitudes about calcium and lactose intolerance shows:

Almost all (96 percent) think calcium is "very" or "somewhat" important, but only 9 percent claims they make sure to get the recommended 1,300 mg of calcium daily.
Of those who said they do not drink milk daily, 18 percent of boys and 28 percent of girls say it's because they're lactose intolerant.
One-third of those surveyed mistakenly believe lactose intolerance means a person can't consume any dairy foods at all.