Women who breast-feed may need to be watchful about getting enough calcium to
keep their teeth and gums healthy, new animal research suggests.
In experimentations with rats, researchers found that lactating rodents were
mainly susceptible to the effects of low calcium intake on the bones that hold
up the teeth. Such bone-density loss can speed the succession of any existing
gum disease.
Though the findings come from animals, they do suggest it's significant for
breast-feeding mothers to embrace enough calcium in their diets, lead researcher
Dr. Kanako Shoji told Reuters Health.
Shoji and colleagues at Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry in Japan
report the findings in the Journal of Periodontology.
Calcium requirements increase
During breast-feeding, a woman's calcium load go up to meet her growing baby's
needs, the researchers point out. In addition, certain hormonal transforms
during breast-feeding may contribute to bone-density loss.
So adequate calcium intake - from foods like milk, cheese and fortified cereals
and juice - may become particularly important. The suggested calcium intake for
women ages 19 to 50, breast-feeding or not, is 1,000 milligrams a day.
If a woman doesn't find adequate calcium from food, Shoji noted, supplements are
an option.
