Extra Calcium Doesn't Do a Body Good for Kids

Sept. 15, 2006

-- EXTRA CALCIUM NO BENEFIT FOR KIDS For healthy children, taking calcium supplements does little to help bone strength, scientists in report this week in the British Journal of Medicine. A review study finds that healthy kids who take calcium pills for at least 3 months showed almost no difference in bone density when compared to those who didn't take the mineral. The only bone in their bodies that seemed to benefit was the radius in the upper arm, which had slightly higher density I kids who took extra calcium. The authors say these differences would not even translate into any real difference in bone breaks. They suggest better approaches to strengthen bone and reduce osteoporosis are: increasing Vitamin D and simply eating more fruits and vegetables.

PLAN B BUZZ A commentary in the British Medical Journal suggests the debate over Emergency Contraception -- aka Plan B -- is much ado about nothing. It says the increased use of EC in other countries like Sweden and the United Kingdom have had no notable effect on either pregnancy or abortion rates. Moreover, because there have been no clinical studies on the drug [for obvious ethical reasons] we don't even know how well it works at preventing pregnancy after unprotected sex. Gynecologist and family planning expert Dr. Anna Glasier suggests the best way to lower unwanted pregnancies and abortions is with contraception before and/or during intercourse.

STAT is a brief look at the latest medical research. This version was compiled by Amy Malick, who works in the ABC News Medical Unit, evaluating medical studies, abstracts and news releases and holds a master's degree in medicine and a PhD in neurobiology.