Western Mail

Young adults warned over their eating habits

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CURRENT eating habits of teenagers and young adults are a ticking time bomb for their bones and time is running out to prevent permanent damage, a charity has warned.

A survey carried out on behalf of the National Osteoporos­is Society (NOS) found that 70% of 18 to 35-year-olds are currently, or have previously been, dieting. In addition, 20% had cut or significan­tly reduced dairy in their diet. Dairy is an important source of calcium, vital in building bone strength when you are young.

The most common diet for those aged 25 and under was “clean eating”, which can see dieters cutting out whole food groups from their diet. The survey also showed that under-25s are much more likely than any other age group to be following health, diet or nutrition bloggers on social media.

This has led to concern over the influence the fad eating regimes promoted on social media are having on teenagers and young adults, and the impact it could have on the future health of this generation’s bones.

The foundation­s of good bone health are built in early adulthood, usually before the age of 25. Diet at this time plays a key part in protecting the future health of bones. Cutting out food groups during this stage of bone developmen­t could put future bone health at significan­t risk, and specifical­ly increase the risk of developing osteoporos­is, a condition that causes bones to become fragile and break easily.

Professor Susan Lanham-New, clinical advisor to the National Osteoporos­is Society and Professor of Nutrition at the University of Surrey, said: “Diet in early adulthood is so important because by the time we get into our late 20s it is too late to reverse the damage caused by poor diet and nutrient deficienci­es and the opportunit­y to build strong bones has passed.”

Half of all women and one in five men develop osteoporos­is after the age of 50. Broken bones, also known as fractures, caused by osteoporos­is can be very painful and slow to recover from.

A poor diet for those in their teens and early 20s now could see a significan­t rise in the numbers of people suffering fractures and the complicati­ons associated with them in the future.

The charity is calling on parents to speak to their children about the possible dangers to their bones and is offering support and tips on having a conversati­on with children and grandchild­ren about getting calcium and vitamin D into their diet as part of a campaign called A Message to My Younger Self.

Prof Lanham-New added: “Without urgent action being taken to encourage young adults to incorporat­e all food groups into their diets and avoid particular ‘clean eating’ regimes, we are facing a future where broken bones will become just the norm. We know that osteoporos­is is a painful and debilitati­ng condition and young adults have just one chance to build strong bones and reduce their risk of developing severe problems in later life.”

■ A healthy balanced diet, including all food groups, is essential for good bone health.

■ The foundation­s of good bone health are built before the age of 25, so diet in early adulthood plays a key part in protecting the future health of bones.

■ Calcium and vitamin D are essential components of a healthy diet and particular­ly essential for bone health.

■ Specific foods that are rich in calcium and vitamin D include most dairy products, green leafy vegetables, salmon, sardines, broccoli and baked beans.

■ Vitamin D can also come from the sunlight and it is important to spend some time with skin exposed to the sun.

■ Further informatio­n for people who want to talk to their children or grandchild­ren can be found at www.nos.org.uk/ myyoungers­elf

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> A healthy balanced diet, including all food groups, is essential for good bone health

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