NEW YORK, Oct 12 (Reuters Health) -- College students are notorious for their poor eating habits, and results of a recent study suggest that they should start minding more than their dietary "P's and Q's", they need more Mg -- magnesium -- if they want to prevent the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis later in life.
Researchers at the University of Connecticut at Storrs and Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, report that while both male and female students appear to get enough calcium and vitamin D, both groups are lacking in their daily intake of magnesium, which is also essential for healthy bones. This nutritional deficiency could have implications for students' later risk for osteoporosis.
The research team, led by Dr. J.Z. Ilich, asked 120 college students to record their food intake for 3 days. These records were analyzed for levels of calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium. The researchers also compared men to women and on-campus residents to those who live off-campus. All of the students were majors in health fields.
Over 40% of the students took supplements that included calcium and vitamin D, which for females led to meeting nutritional guidelines for these nutrients. Male students got enough of the nutrients even without supplements. But neither males nor females were getting enough magnesium, even though 39% were taking it in their supplements. Their daily intake was about 15% below the recommended amount.
No differences were found between student living on- and off-campus, suggesting that being enrolled in a student meal plan does not help students achieve better nutrition.
"Proper nutrition is important for this age group, as the stage for future habits is set, and risk for some chronic diseases later in life may be diminished," noted the researchers. They suggest that even college students in health majors may be unaware of the importance of magnesium to bone health.
College students seem to be aware of the importance of good nutrition, especially in regard to calcium, the authors noted, suggesting that this may be due to the "intensive public outreach" that's been done for calcium and osteoporosis. "However, the importance of Mg is still unrecognized," they concluded.
It is important to build bone through proper diet and exercise during the first 30 years of life, noted a statement from the American Society for Bones and Mineral Research, because peak bone mineral density in attained during that period. The study was presented at a recent meeting of the Society in Washington, DC.
