Preemies likelier to have weaker bones in later life

According to a recent study, premature babies are more at the risk of weaker bones in later life.

First author Chandima Balasuriya of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) said that few studies to date have addressed bone mass in adults, who were born with low birth weight, and there are conflicting findings.

Balasuriya added that the study shows that both those born prematurely with a very low birth weight and those who were born full term, but small for their gestational age, had lower bone mass than the control group, who were born full term with normal weights.

The study, conducted by the Endocrinology and Bone Group, looked at 186 adults who were 26-28 years old.

The good news is that parents and doctors can put this information to use, by helping low-birth weight children build as much bone mass as possible as they grow and develop, through diet and exercise.

"Ensuring that children with low birth weights have a diet rich in calcium, vitamin D and protein, in combination with exercise that involves weight-bearing physical activities may help reduce risk of bone fractures later in life," Balasuriya said.

The study appears in journal Endocrine Abstracts.