Let there Be Light

A study published in Pediatrics on teenagers in an Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York, showed that many of the boys have very low densities of bone minerals, suggesting that they will be vulnerable to osteoporosis later in life. Researchers at Brooklyn’s Maimonides Medical Center, in search of correlations between genetics, cultural patterns or sex hormones and a disposition toward developing osteoporosis, reason that this population values intellectual over physical activity. The boys, at a peak bone-growth stage during adolescence, also have limited exposure to sunlight as a result of traditional dress and long hours spent indoors studying. Both exercise and sunlight promote bone density. The researchers suggest giving calcium supplements and encouraging the boys to walk more.