Nutritional covariates of dietary calcium in elderly Japanese women:: results of a study using the duplicate portion sampling method

Objectives The purposes of this study were to determine the intake of nutrients related to bone health, including calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), potassium (K), protein, and vitamin D, in elderly Japanese women and to examine possible intercorrelations between Ca intake and other nutrients. Methods Fifty-three elderly women in a rural community in Japan participated by supplying duplicate meal samples of everything they ate during a 24-h period. Dietary Ca, P, Na, K, protein, and vitamin D intakes were examined. The mean (standard deviation) age of the 53 women was 68.2 y (6.4 y). Results The mean (standard deviation) intakes of dietary Ca, P, Na, K, protein, and vitamin D were 670 (219) mg/d, 1019 (267) mg/d, 4203 (1341) mg/d, 2752 (844) mg/d, 65.2 (18.3) g/d, and 9.90 (8,89) μg/d, respectively. Dietary Ca was significantly correlated with dietary P (r = 0.732, P < 0.0001), Na (r = 0.336, P = 0.0140), K (r = 0.571, P < 0.0001), and protein (r = 0.563, P < 0.0001), but not with vitamin D. After adjusting the data to reflect the total dry weight, dietary Ca was still correlated with P (r = 0.696, P < 0.0001), K (r = 0.423, P = 0.0018), and protein (r = 0.405, P = 0.0029). Conclusions The intake of dietary nutrients relevant to bone health in ambulatory Japanese elderly women was examined and documented. The potential confounding effects of these nutrients, especially P, K, and protein, should be taken into account when evaluating the effects of dietary Ca on bone health in observational studies.