The role of dietary calcium and other nutrients in moderating body fat in preschool children.
OBJECTIVE
To assess preschool children's food consumption (24-60 months) and relate these findings to body composition at 70+/-2 months.


METHODS
A longitudinal study of children's dietary intakes for selected nutrients and servings of dairy products.


METHODS
Fifty-three white children participating in a longitudinal study (2-96 months) of children's food practices and growth.


METHODS
Using in-home interviews and trained interviewers, 18 days of dietary data and measured height and weight of each child at 6 month intervals were collected. Body composition was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.


RESULTS
Dietary fat was 30-33% of energy with saturated and monounsaturated fat intakes>10% and polyunsaturated<10%. Adjusting for body mass index (BMI), GLM models to predict percent body fat (%BF) or grams of total fat (gTF) with mean longitudinal calcium intake (%BF: R2=0.51, F=7.88, P<0.0001; gTF: R2=0.51, F=9.84, P=0.0001) or total servings of dairy products (%BF: R2=0.47, F=6.93, P<0.0001; gTF: R2=0.47, F=8.31, P<0.0001) as independent variables gave significant results. Higher mean longitudinal calcium (mg/day) intakes and more servings/day of dairy products were associated with lower body fat. Males had significantly less body fat (P=0.01) than females.


CONCLUSIONS
Higher longitudinal intakes of calcium, monounsaturated fat, and servings of dairy products were associated with lower body fat.
Carruth
B R
BR
Nutrition Department, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996-1900, USA. bcarruth@utk.edu
Skinner
J D
JD
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000254:growth & development*; D001823:Body Composition; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003611:Dairy Products; D004435:Eating; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology
D002136:Calcium, Dietary