title: [Use of the urinary calcium/creatinine ratio as an indicator of the nutritional status of calcium].
abstract: The relationship between calcium and creatinine in basal urine for evaluating its usefulness as an indicator of calcium nutritional status was evaluated. Samples of basal urine were collected form a group of 5 to 12-year-old school children who followed a three-month program of dietary complementation. The calcium to creatinine ratio showed no correlation with daily total calcium intake. However, a correlation was found when intake was expressed in mg per kg of body weight (r = 0.67) and increased significantly when data were grouped according to growth rate (r = 0.85). On this basis, the Ca/Creat. ratio was analyzed as a function of weight gain (g/kg) for calcium intake: higher and lower than 10 mg/kg/day (4 = 0.82 and 0.89, respectively), the intercept of each line with the Y axis (null weight gain) being 0.096 and 0.068, respectively. These findings indicate the possibility of using the Ca/Creat. ratio in field studies as an indicator of nutritional status of the population in regard to calcium.
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight; D002118:Calcium / Q000652:urine*; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine*; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
chemical_list: D002136:Calcium, Dietary; D003404:Creatinine; D002118:Calcium
vernacular_title: Utilización de la relación calcio/creatinina urinaria como indicador del estado nutricional con respecto al calcio.