Bone Strength of the Calcaneus Is Associated with Dietary Calcium Intake in Older Japanese Men, but Not Women

Keita Suzuki  1 , Hiromasa Tsujiguchi  1   2   3 , Akinori Hara  1   2   3 , Sakae Miyagi  3   4 , Thao Thi Thu Nguyen  5 , Yasuhiro Kambayashi  6 , Yukari Shimizu  7 , Fumihiko Suzuki  1   8 , Chie Takazawa  1 , Masaharu Nakamura  1 , Hirohito Tsuboi  9 , Takayuki Kannon  10 , Atsushi Tajima  11 , Hiroyuki Nakamura  1   2   3

The relationship between calcium intake and bone strength in older Asian individuals, including Japanese, is controversial; therefore, we herein investigated this relationship in older Japanese populations. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 314 participants older than 65 years who voluntarily participated in a medical examination and responded to questionnaires. The osteo-sono assessment index (OSI) measured at the right calcaneus using a quantitative ultrasonic device was used as an indicator of bone strength. The daily dietary intake of calcium was assessed using a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire. A two-way analysis of covariance revealed a significant interaction between sex and calcium intake on the OSI (p < 0.01). A multiple regression analysis showed a positive correlation between calcium intake and the OSI in males (p < 0.01), but not females (p = 0.27). In females, grip strength divided by body weight positively correlated with the OSI (p = 0.04). The present results suggest that a higher calcium intake contributes to bone strength in older Japanese males. Although a higher grip strength may contribute to bone strength in females, the potential of estrogen as a confounding factor needs to be considered.
Keywords: bone strength; calcium intake; cross-sectional study; grip strength; older people.

Nutrients

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