Dietary and Total Calcium Intakes Are Associated with Lower Percentage Total Body and Truncal Fat in Young, Healthy Adults

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between different sources of calcium intake (dairy [milk products only], dietary [all dietary sources including dairy], nondairy dietary [all dietary sources excluding dairy], and total [dietary + supplemental]) and fat mass in young adults.

Methods: One hundred ninety-seven healthy Caucasian men and women aged 18 to 28 years from southwestern Ontario underwent whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry to determine total body fat mass (%FM) and truncal fat (%TF). Calcium intakes, determined using a food frequency questionnaire, were divided into quartiles for each of dairy, dietary, nondairy dietary, and total sources. Physical activity scores were collected on a subset of subjects (n = 167). Mean %FM and %TF were compared between the lowest (Q1) and highest (Q4) quartiles of calcium consumers for each calcium source. Calcium intakes between subjects with %FM ≥50th and <50th percentile were also compared.

Results: Mean calcium intakes were as follows: 568 mg/d dairy calcium, 312 mg/d nondairy dietary calcium, 881 mg/d dietary calcium, 68 mg/d supplemental calcium, and 948 mg/d total calcium. %FM was 3.9%–4.9% lower and %TF was 4.1%–5.0% lower (all P ≤ 0.05) for subjects in Q4 vs Q1, regardless of calcium source (dairy, dietary, and total). When adjusted for physical activity, lower %FM and %TF persisted (P ≤ 0.05) for subjects in Q4 (1113–1595 mg/d mean dietary and total calcium intakes) vs Q1 (116–393 mg/d mean dietary and total calcium intakes). Calcium intakes from dairy, dietary, and total sources for subjects with a %FM ≥50th percentile were significantly lower (all P ≤ 0.05); when adjusted for physical activity, dietary (P = 0.025) and total (P = 0.060) calcium intakes remained lower.

Implications and Conclusions: Our findings support a relationship, even after adjusting for physical activity, between higher dietary and total calcium intakes and lower total body and truncal fat in young adults. Results suggest an intake of approximately 1500 mg/d calcium could aid in the management of body and truncal fat. We recommend that young adults be encouraged to increase their total calcium intakes to at least the recommended daily allowance of 1000 mg/d for reasons extending beyond bone health.

Key words::

• body fat
• truncal fat
• body composition
• calcium
• dairy
• adults

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank the subjects for volunteering and Dr. Robin R. Milhausen for her careful review of the manuscript. This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and a Learning Enhancement Fund grant from the University of Guelph.

Fig. 1. Differences in calcium intakes (dairy, dietary, total) by body fat percentile (≥50th and <50th percentile), adjusted for physical activity (n = 167).

Table 1. Subject Characteristics, Body Composition, Physical Activity Scores, and Calcium Intakes of Young, Healthy Adults (N = 197)

Table 2. Mean Calcium Intakes (mg/d) by Quartiles (N = 197)

Table 3. Differences in % Fat Mass (FM) and % Truncal Fat (TF) between Lowest and Highest Quartile Calcium Consumers, by Calcium Source (N = 197)

Notes

Conflict of interest disclosure: There is no conflict of interest for any of the authors.