Effect of dietary calcium intake on lead exposure in Inuit children attending childcare centres in Nunavik

Abstract

High blood lead levels (BLLs) can be found in Inuit from Nunavik. At the same time, various nutrients such as calcium could lower lead absorption and toxicity. We examined the effect of dietary calcium intakes on BLLs in 245 preschool Inuit children attending childcare centres in Nunavik. Calcium intake was assessed with one 24-h dietary recall and BLLs were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in whole blood samples. Multiple imputation was performed to deal with missing data. Median blood lead concentration was 0.08 μmol/L. A high proportion of children did not meet the Estimated Average Requirement for vitamin D intake (73 %) and, to a lower extent, for calcium (20 %). Calcium intake was negatively associated with BLLs ( p = 0.0001) while child’s age and energy intake were positively associated with BLLs ( p = 0.015 and p = 0.024, respectively). Consuming traditional foods rich in calcium as well as milk and alternatives may protect against lead exposure.

Keywords:

• lead
• calcium
• preschool children
• Inuit
• Canada

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Nunavik parents and children for their participation. We want to thank all educators, cooks and directors of childcare centres in Nunavik who have been very supportive. We are thankful to the Institut national de santé publique du Québec and the Nunavik Nutrition and Health Committee for their expertise and support, and to nurses and dietitians who worked on this project. We want to give a special thank you to Margaret Gauvin from the Kativik Regional Government for her continued encouragement and constant support. We also want to thank Serge Déry from the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services for his collaboration and Edward James O’Brien for providing English language support. This study was made possible through funding by the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada–Northern Contaminants Program, the Kativik Regional Government, and Health Canada.

Notes

Additional information is available about the variables included in the multiple imputation procedure (Table S1) and the regression results (Tables S2 and S3). The supplementary material for this paper is available online at http://dx.doi.10.1080/09603123.2013.865714.