What factors influence healthy bone development in children?
Normal bone development Peak bone mineral density (BMD) is the maximal lifetime amount of bone tissue accrued in the skeleton during growth; it may be a more important determinant of low BMD in old age than age-related bone loss. Therefore, maximising the attainment of peak bone mass is now considered to be an important component of osteoporosis prevention. There is a large variation in the normal range for peak BMD that is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.80 Physical activity and diet may be the most important modifiable environmental factors that can increase peak BMD for both children and adults.80 Physical activity For physical activity to have a role in preventing osteoporosis, the osteotrophic response must be large enough to be considered clinically important and the benefits must be maintained into later life when fractures occur. Large increases in BMD (up to 30%) have been reported in children involved in exercise training, but it is not known if these gai
