A Mediterranean Dietary Style Improves Calcium Utilization in Healthy Male Adolescents

Abstract

A varied diet based on Mediterranean diet patterns during adolescence greatly improves dietary calcium utilization, which may help to maximize the peak bone mass and prevent related diseases, such as osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis, Nutrition and Adolescence

“…It has been shown that dietary calcium utilization during adolescence may be greatly improved by a diet based on the Mediterranean patterns (Seiquer et al, 2008). Compared with the consumption of their habitual diets, adolescents significantly increased the absorption and retention of the dietary calcium, and, as a consequence, calcium utilization efficiency was significantly improved when subjects consumed the Mediterranean diet.…”

“…On the contrary, low phosphorus and high sodium and caffeine intake are associated with increased urinary calcium (Kiel et al, 1990;Brunette et al, 1992;Weisinger & Bellorin-Font, 1998). With an adequate diet, calcium bioavailability is favored, reaching values around 36.5% for boys and 29.6% for girls, or even higher when diets provide suitable amounts of the mineral Seiquer et al, 2008). Thus, as mentioned above, the dietary habits of adolescents are an important factor to meet calcium requirements and, consequently, needs for pubertal growth.…”

“…Thus, the Maillard reaction products (MRP) are widely consumed as a part of the human diet, especially among adolescents, according to their dietary habits and the high content of snacks and fast foods in their diets (Delgado-Andrade et al, 2007). In addition to their sensory properties, MRP is associated with certain positive biological effects, such as antioxidant activity (Seiquer et al, 2008), but at the same time with negative actions, including degradation of nutritional protein quality (Alkanhal et al, 2001) and modifications in vitamins (O'Brien and Morrissey, 1989) or mineral availability (Navarro, 2003). Our research group has realized several studies with the objective of comparing the effects of diets with different MRP contents on the utilization of dietary protein and on mineral availability in adolescents.…”

“…Moreover, low milk intake during childhood and adolescence is associated with a greater incidence of fracture among older women (Kalkwarf et al, 2003). Cereals may also constitute an important calcium source, whereas meat, eggs, fish and legumes are minority calcium sources in the diet of adolescents (Seiquer et al, 2008). In addition, drinking water, including mineral water, may provide 6-7% of daily calcium intake (Guéguen & Pointillart, 2000).…”

“…Therefore, adolescents must consume diets that are balanced and adjusted to their requirements in order to meet calcium recommendations and to obtain the energy and nutrients that promote mineral utilization. Several studies have demonstrated the importance of considering both food groups and the overall diet in assessing their impact on bone health, which may partially explain the relationship between nutrient intake and bone mineral acquisition in children and adolescents (Heaney, 2004;Seiquer et al, 2008). Milk and dairy products contribute around 70% of total dietary calcium and thus, they are by far the main source of calcium in Western diets (Guéguen & Pointillart, 2000).…”