To have healthy and strong bones, people should receive calcium - this has long become an axiom. But a new study from the University of North Carolina / USA / shows that a lack of sufficient calcium in the first days of life can have a profound impact on a continuous bone health than previously thought, and may even provoke the development of obesity.

During the 18-day experiment, biologists monitored the development of 24 piglets. Scientists have recorded low bone density and strength in 12 pigs that received little calcium. Biologists have chosen pigs as a model for research, as these animals have bone diseases associated with osteoporosis.

When the researchers examined some bone marrow stem cells of animals with calcium deficiency, they found that many of these cells had been pre-programmed to become fat cells instead of cells that form bones.

Such early deficiency of calcium predisposes to the accumulation of fat in the bones and reduces the content of minerals in them, and also contributes to osteoporosis and obesity in older age, say orthopedists. In addition, experts noticed that pigs with low bone density from blood tests showed no difference in the levels of the hormonal form of vitamin D regulating the amount of calcium in the blood of children and adults. This observation indicates that the regulation of the substance in the newborn does not depend on vitamin D.

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