Author(s)

Luciana Neri Nobre^1*, Susilane Pereira Araújo¹, Paulo de Souza Costa Sobrinho¹, Kellen Cristine Silva², Sofia Emanuelle de Castro Ferreira³, Lidiane Lopes Moreira¹, Joel Alves Lamounier⁴, Sylvia do Carmo Castro Franceschin⁵

¹Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys, Diamantina, Brazil.
²Federal University of Tocantins, Palmas, Brazil.
³Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁴Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
⁵Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil.

Background: Several observational and experimental studies in humans and animals have noted an inverse relationship between calcium intake, particularly dairy products, and body weight and adiposity. However, these effects have not been consistently observed. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between calcium intake and anthropometric measures and adiposity in preschoolers. Methods: Cross-sectional study nested in a cohort born of 232 preschoolers from Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The preschoolers underwent anthropometric (body mass index and waist circumference), adiposity (triceps and subscapular skinfold) and dietary (three 24-hour dietary recalls) evaluations. The association between calcium intake, adiposity and anthropometric measurements was performed using a logistic regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of overweight (overweight and obesity) among preschoolers was 17.24%. The average calcium intake was 480.51 mg/day. Only 7.7% of children reached their daily recommended intake value (800 mg/day), and calcium intake was equally low for both groups studied (p = 0.74). This study did not find a relationship between calcium intake and overweight or adiposity. Conclusions: Calcium intake was far below the recommendations for the age group studied, and no was identified association between low calcium intake and overweight or adiposity.

Calcium Intake, Overweight, Obesity, Preschoolers, Adiposity

Nobre, L. , Araújo, S. , Sobrinho, P. , Silva, K. , Ferreira, S. , Moreira, L. , Lamounier, J. and Franceschin, S. (2018) Dietary Calcium and Overweight in Preschoolers: Is There an Association?. Food and Nutrition Sciences, 9, 346-355. doi: 10.4236/fns.2018.94027.