The Relation between Calcium Intake and Body Composition in a Dutch Population: The Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study

To investigate whether dietary calcium intake is related to body mass index and the sum of four skinfolds among subjects in the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study (the Netherlands), the authors followed a cohort of men and women from age 13 years in 1977 to age 36 years in 2000. Longitudinal linear regression analyses were performed with generalized estimating equations in continuous and categorical models, with adjustment for possible confounders. Results showed that calcium intake during adolescence is a weak predictor of calcium intake in adulthood. In this population, only a slight indication was found of a weak inverse relation of calcium intake with body composition. No differences were observed between the middle (800-1,200 mg/day) and high (>1,200 mg/day) groups of calcium intake, suggesting a threshold of approximately 800 mg/day above which calcium intake has no additional beneficial effect on body composition.