Calcium and dairy intake and measures of obesity in hyper- and normocholesterolemic children

Objective: Calcium intake has been inversely associated with body weight and body fatness in adults and, to a lesser extent, in children. Dairy intake has been inversely associated with metabolic syndrome in overweight but not normal-weight adults. We assessed whether intakes of calcium and dairy foods were associated with measures of obesity in hypercholesterolemic (HC) and normocholesterolemic (non-HC) children at baseline and over 1 year. Research Methods and Procedures: Non-obese 4- to 10-year-old HC and non-HC children (342) completed three 24-hour dietary recalls and provided measures of relative weight (BMI and BMI z scores) and adiposity (sum of skinfolds, trunk skinfolds) at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Cross-sectional and longitudinal regression analyses, stratified by cholesterol risk status (HC vs. non-HC) and age (4 to 6 years and 7 to 10 years) and adjusted for potential confounders, were conducted. Results: After adjusting for age, sex, energy intake, and percentage energy from fat, calcium intake was inversely associated with BMI, sum of skinfolds, and trunk skinfolds at baseline and over 1 year in the 7- to 10-year-old non-HC children. Results from the regression models also indicated an inverse relation between intake of dairy foods and measures of obesity at baseline in these children. Calcium or dairy intake was not associated with measures of obesity in HC children or in the 4- to 6-year-old non-HC children. Discussion: These results suggest a complex relation among intake of calcium and dairy foods, measures of obesity, age, and serum cholesterol in children. Older children without risk of metabolic syndrome may benefit most from increased calcium intake.