In one childhood obesity research study, investigators examined the relationship between calcium intake and body composition in African-American children (free to download)[1]. In this study, 186 African-American children at risk for being overweight were asked with the help of their elders to record food intake for 3 days. Body composition and body weight measures were taken and analyzed in respect to nutrient intake. The investigators reported:
Less than half of the children met the dietary recommended intake of any of the vitamins and minerals measured with only about 1% meeting calcium recommendations and about 4% meeting vitamin D recommendations.
When the study volunteers were examined as a whole group, no links were evident between calcium intake and body composition or body mass index.
However, when looking at differences between boys and girls, it was clear that girls who consumed less than 314 milligrams of calcium per day had a higher percent of fat mass than girls who consumed more than 634 milligrams of calcium per day.
In the second childhood obesity research study, investigators assessed the link between vitamin D blood levels and changes in body mass index and waist size in more than 450 5-12 year old children[2]. For this study, blood levels of vitamin D were measured at baseline and classified as deficient (less than 50 nmol/L), insufficient (more than 50 nmol/L, but less than 75 nmol/L) or sufficient (more than 75 nmol/L). Body changes were assessed yearly for approximately 3 years. In this study, children deficient in vitamin D were shown to have greater increases in body mass index, skin-fold thickness, and waist size over the 3-year follow-up period than children with sufficient blood levels of vitamin D. Additionally, a lack of vitamin D was linked to slower growth rates in girls.
These two studies both show that deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D might be linked to some children having an increased risk for becoming overweight or obese. The reason for the difference between African-American boys and girls in regards to calcium's impact on body fat is uncertain; however, the study researchers point out that their analysis was negatively effected by the very low percent of children consuming adequate levels of calcium (1%). In truth, the insufficient intake of most vitamins and minerals in this group of children is one of the most disturbing results of this first study. In this study, less than 10% of the children consumed adequate amounts of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, folate, vitamin D, vitamin A, and vitamin K based on food intake records! Ensuring that children get adequate nutrition is an important step to both maintaining overall health as well as possibly reducing their risk for both childhood and adult obesity.
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