Follow Up Project

A new project "Genetic, pubertal and nutritional determinants of peak bone mass accretion in adolescence" has been funded by the Nestle Foundation, 2002 - 2005. This follow-up study is being conducted by the original team in collaboration with the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety in Beijing. The Chinese team also receive funding from Danone-China for this study.

This project will assess the growth and bone health of a random sample of ~700 Chinese adolescent girls at ages 14 and 15. These girls previously completed a milk supplementation trial on schooldays when they were aged 10-12 (~450 supplemented, 250 unsupplemented controls), and data are already available on growth and bone health measured at baseline, mid-trial and end-trial, together with genetic information and general and health information. Measurements at ages 14 and 15 will be anthropometry, diet, physical activity, UV exposure, bone mineral measurements, body composition, pubertal stage. At age 15 additional measurements will be bone age and biochemical indicators. The results will indicate how bone develops in adolescents consuming a low calcium, plant-based diet (controls) especially the influences of pubertal progression and genotype. The results will also indicate whether the benefits to growth and bone development of short-term milk supplementation commencing in early puberty will be maintained throughout adolescence. This information is needed to improve scientific understanding of growth and bone mineral accretion in adolescent girls, and to make recommendations about nutrition (including school milk programs) to the responsible authorities in China. The project will contribute to development of local nutrition scientists, as well as school teachers and school health workers.

The follow-up study employs Dr Zhu Kun (Kathy) as Project Officer and has two new PhD students: Foo Leng Huat from Malaysia, and Zhang Qian from Beijing.