Calcium Intake Is Associated with Adiposity in Black and White Men and White Women of the HERITAGE Family Study

Abstract

Calcium (Ca²⁺) intake may play a role in the regulation of body weight. Increased Ca²⁺ intake has been associated with lower body weight, BMI, and adiposity measures in cross-sectional studies. We examined the association between Ca²⁺ intake, derived from the Willett FFQ, and overall and abdominal adiposity in Black and White men and women of the HERITAGE Family Study. BMI, the percentage of body fat (%FAT), the sum of 8 skinfold thicknesses, computerized tomography total abdominal fat (TAF), abdominal visceral (AVF) and abdominal subcutaneous (ASF) fat, and waist circumference were measured in 362 men (109 Blacks, 253 Whites) and 462 women (201 Blacks, 261 Whites). Subjects were divided into tertiles of energy-adjusted Ca²⁺ intake. Adiposity measures across tertiles were compared by ANOVA and also regressed against the energy-adjusted Ca²⁺ intake to test for a linear trend. The strongest inverse associations appeared in Black men and White women. Black men in the high Ca²⁺ intake group were leaner than those in the low Ca²⁺ intake group: BMI 23.4 ± 0.9 vs. 26.7 ± 1.1 kg/m² (P = 0.01); for all other adiposity measures, P < 0.05. In White women, regression analyses showed significant inverse associations between Ca²⁺ intake and BMI (P = 0.02), %FAT (P = 0.001), TAF (P = 0.006), AVF (P = 0.03), and ASF (P = 0.01). The percentage of fat of White men in the highest Ca²⁺ intake group was significantly lower than in the lowest Ca²⁺ group (P = 0.04). No significant associations were found in Black women. Low Ca²⁺ intake may be associated with higher adiposity, particularly in men and White women.