Food sources of calcium in a sample of African-American an Euro-American collegiate athletes.

Adequate calcium intake is integral to bone health as well as for optimal athletic performance. This study was conducted to investigate: (a) food sources of calcium in a sample of collegiate athletes, (b) gender and/or ethnic differences in food sources of calcium, and (c) whether athletes that derive less of their calcium intake from dairy sources increase their calcium intake from supplements or other food sources. Participants were African-American and Euro-American NCAA Division 1-A athletes. Eighty-five men and 59 women participated. Calcium intake for the previous 7-day period was assessed with a brief calcium screen. Men consumed significantly more calcium than women (1,354 vs. 898 mg/day), with female cross-country runners exhibiting the lowest average intake (605 mg/day). Both men and women obtained the majority of their calcium from dairy products and mixed dishes, while men consumed significantly more calcium-fortified foods. Several gender and ethnic interactions for calcium intake from food groups were found. Mean total dairy calcium intake was found to vary according to total calcium intake in men, and supplemental calcium was not used to augment low dairy intakes of calcium in any group. While African-Americans and Euro-Americans athletes were consuming similar levels of calcium, the female athletes in the sample did not get adequate amounts.

The effects of an educational intervention on calcium intake and bone mineral content in young women with low calcium intake.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated whether a combined behavioral and dietary intervention would affect young women's calcium intake and bone mineral content (BMC). DESIGN: The design was a two by three mixed design with one between-subjects factor (treatment vs. control) and one within-subjects factor (time--baseline, 3-month, and 6-month). SETTING: The study was conducted in a university setting in Memphis, Tennessee. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 80 premenopausal women (ages 18 to 30) with low baseline calcium intake (< 700 mg/d) were included in the analyses. There were 40 women in the treatment group and 40 women in the control group. MEASURES: Hertzler and Frary's rapid assessment questionnaire was employed to evaluate calcium intake, and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) was employed to assess BMC. RESULTS: Repeated measures analysis of variance (RM ANOVA) was employed to analyze results. Results indicated that women in the treatment group made greater increases in total calcium intake and supplemental calcium than women in the control group and that all women made significant increases in dietary calcium intake. Additionally, analyses of BMC revealed that women in the treatment group did not experience significant changes in total BMC, and women in the control group experienced significant losses in total BMC. CONCLUSIONS: In the current study, women were losing BMC, and the women who made the largest increases in calcium intake were able to retard this bone loss. There is increasing evidence that dietary calcium intake in young people is extremely low, and the results of the current study highlight the need for much more intensive evaluations investigating the factors that are positively associated with premenopausal bone mineral change.