Relation of Milk Ingestion to Calcium Metabolism in Children

Abstract

Calcium, phosphorus and nitrogen retention studies comprising 46 metabolism periods with 8 children between 3 and 5 years of age lead to the conclusion that a pint of milk, furnishing 75% of the calcium, when included as part of a diet containing adequate amounts of phosphorus, protein, fat and vitamins from other sources will supply enough calcium to meet the needs of normal children of the ages considered. The conclusions are based on a comparison of the retentions of these essential growth constituents when the children were taking diets containing a pint and a quart of milk respectively. In one series of tests the children received cod liver oil; in a second, cod liver oil and Viosterol; and in a third during June and July they were given no cod liver oil, but spent a large part of the day out of doors. The average retentions following the various diet modifications are given in the table.

Seemingly the difference in the amount of calcium retained by children receiving different levels of milk above a pint reported by other investigators 1 is not related primarily to the variations in the amount of sunshine to which the children were exposed, but to the difference in the physiological condition of the children studied. The data of the study herein reported indicate that less well-nourished children may retain more calcium, phosphorus, and nitrogen during first metabolism periods when a pint of milk and sufficient Vitamin D are included in the diet than during a second successive period when a quart with Vitamin D is given. Well-nourished children retain approximately the same amount of calcium whether receiving a pint or a quart. As will be discussed elsewhere greatly undernourished children may need somewhat more than a pint.