Dietary calcium intake and overweight: an epidemiologic view.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the relation between overweight and calcium intake in adults living in the municipality of São Paulo, Brazil.


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional population-based study on a sample of 1459 adults that was obtained by multistage cluster sampling. Dietary intake was measured by the 24-h recall method. Poisson's and linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relation between overweight and quartiles of calcium intake adjusted for energy.


RESULTS
The prevalence of overweight was 43.1% and the average adjusted calcium intake was 448.6 mg. In the linear regression analyses, the regression coefficient for adjusted calcium was significant and negative (P = 0.019, beta(1) = -0.0001). Although evaluated by quartiles, the prevalence ratio for overweight in the first quartile of calcium intake was 1.24 (95% confidence interval 1.00-1.54) and that in the second quartile was 1.24 (95% confidence interval 1.03-1.49).


CONCLUSIONS
In the present study, calcium intake showed a significant negative association with body mass index.
Bueno
Milena Baptista
MB
University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. mibueno@usp.br
Cesar
Chester Luis Galvão
CL
Martini
Ligia A
LA
Fisberg
Regina M
RM
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
D002136:Calcium, Dietary