Why are teens and tweens at risk for weak bones?
Young people are at risk for weak bones because they aren’t getting the 1,300 mg of calcium each day that they need during this critical time. The tween and teen years are critical for bone development because this is when most bone mass accumulates. • In the years of peak skeletal growth, teenagers get more than 25 percent of their adult bone. • By the time teens finish their growth spurts around age 17, 90 percent of their adult bone mass is established. Following the teen years, bones continue to increase in density until a person is about age 30. Calcium is critical to building bone mass to support physical activity throughout life and to reduce the risk of bone fractures, especially those due to osteoporosis.
