Calcium intake and hypertension among obese adults in United States: associations and implications explored

Prevalence of lactose intolerance and malabsorption among children of two ethnic groups from the urban areas of Malaysia and its relation to calcium intake and bone health status

Lactase insufficiency could develop into lactose intolerance (LI) and disrupt the intake of calcium, which is a core nutrient for bone development in children. However, data regarding the prevalence of LI and bone health status (BHS) among Malaysian children are scarcely reported.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of LI and lactose malabsorption (LM) in Malay and Chinese children and examine its relationship with calcium intake (CI) and BHS.

METHODS

A total of 400 children participated in this study. The prevalence of lactose tolerance (LT) was assessed using hydrogen breath test, LT test, and visual analogue scales. Assessment of CI was performed using a 24-h dietary recall interview (24-h DR) and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) was measured using a quantitative ultrasonometer.

RESULTS

The prevalence of LI among Chinese children (37%) was significantly higher (p = 0.002) than among Malay children (22.5%). However, 61.5% of Malay and 54.5% of Chinese children were found to have LM. CI of the children fulfilled 30.5% and 33.9% of the Malaysian recommended CI (1300 mg/day) for 24-h DR and FFQ, respectively. The BUA score of Malay children was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than that of Chinese children. However, LT and CI were not correlated with BHS (p > 0.05, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

LI was diagnosed among Malay and Chinese children. However, the higher prevalence of LM is rather worrying as it could develop to LI. The prevalence possibly has been worsened by insufficient CI. Thus, effective approaches to increase CI are highly needed as bone development occurs rapidly at this age and is important for the attainment of the optimum peak bone mass during late adolescence.

Role of dietary calcium and its possible mechanism against metabolic disorders: A concise review

The global prevalence of metabolic disorders including hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, nonalcoholic fatty liver, and cardiovascular diseases seemed to affect people of all ages cutting across the national, economic, and demographic barrier. Therefore, the prevention of metabolic disorders is considered of paramount importance. The dietary role of nutrients including vitamins and minerals is one of the recommended preventive measures against metabolic disorders in modern society. Recently, dietary calcium, a common nutrient not only showed a beneficial effect against obesity through weight management, but also gained great attention against the risk of metabolic disorders. Though dietary calcium shows several beneficial effects against metabolic disorders but some inconsistent results were also reported. So, the present review aims to extract recent knowledge as well as their possible underlying mechanisms regarding the role of dietary calcium against metabolic disorders. The present review also discusses the negative impact as well as prospect of calcium intake on health issues. In summary, high calcium diet prevents the harmful consequences of metabolic disorders by regulating hormonal actions, alteration in intracellular calcium level, renin-angiotensin system, intestinal fat absorption, fecal fat excretion, lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, inflammation, and oxidative stress which together improve the metabolic health of an individual. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Metabolic disorder is a global health issue across all sections of society and is growing rapidly in spite of several attempts by the scientific community to prevent it. Recently dietary calcium gained great attention in the last few years for its role in the management and treatment of metabolic disorders. The current review highlights the beneficial role of dietary calcium against several metabolic complications by exploring their underlying mechanisms at cellular level. This study will provide valuable information regarding the recommendation of dietary calcium in health policy as well as its inclusion in the dietary chart through calcium-rich foods and/or taking calcium supplements which can be a useful approach in preventing the risk of metabolic disorder depending on the health status of an individual.

Gut microbiome and osteoporosis: a review

Osteoporosis (OP) is a chronic metabolic bone disease characterized by the decrease of bone tissue per unit volume under the combined action of genetic and environmental factors, which leads to the decrease of bone strength, makes the bone brittle, and raises the possibility of bone fracture. However, the exact mechanism that determines the progression of OP remains to be underlined. There are hundreds of trillions of symbiotic bacteria living in the human gut, which have a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with the human body that helps to maintain human health. With the development of modern high-throughput sequencing (HTS) platforms, there has been growing evidence that the gut microbiome may play an important role in the programming of bone metabolism. In the present review, we discuss the potential mechanisms of the gut microbiome in the development of OP, such as alterations of bone metabolism, bone mineral absorption, and immune regulation. The potential of gut microbiome-targeted strategies in the prevention and treatment of OP was also evaluated.

Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2020;9(8):524–530.

Mineral Intake Status of Community-Dwelling Elderly from Urban and Rural Areas of South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2013~2016

We aimed to evaluate the intake of minerals (calcium, phosphorous, sodium, and potassium) in the urban and rural elderly and explore the adequacy of intake and food sources for each mineral using nationwide big data. The study used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) between 2013 and 2016. We analyzed 5292 elderly individuals that were aged 65 years and older (2271 men, 3021 women). Daily calcium, phosphorous, sodium, and potassium intake, and they were analyzed using the 24-h dietary recall method. Additionally, the adequacy of intake and food sources for each mineral was analyzed. Blood triglyceride level was significantly higher in rural elderly than in urban elderly. The intake of calcium and potassium per 1000 kcal of energy intake was significantly lower in the rural elderly, and the proportion of participants with calcium intake below the Estimated Average Requirement was significantly higher in the rural elderly than in the urban elderly. The intake of calcium, phosphorous, and potassium in the rural elderly was lower than that in the urban elderly. These results can be used as basic data when making social and environmental policies for the health of the elderly and when providing targeted dietary education for the management of chronic diseases for the elderly.

The relationship between low serum calcium level and intracerebral hemorrhage hematoma expansion: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

To investigate the relationship between intracerebral hemorrhage hematoma expansion with low serum calcium level.

METHODS

We will search the following electronic bibliographic databases: MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. All sources have to be searched from the earliest date until May 1, 2019. The quality of the included studies will assess by 2 evaluation members according to the Cochrane Collaboration network standard or the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The included studies will analysis by using RevMan 5.3 software.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

This will be the first systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association of hematoma following intracerebral hemorrhage with hypocalcemia. The study will provide more reliable, evidence-based data for clinical decision making.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42019135956.

Important roles of the Ca2+-sensing receptor in vascular health and disease

Ca²⁺-sensing receptor (CaSR), a member of G protein-coupled receptor family, is widely expressed in the vascular system, including perivascular neurons, vascular endothelial cells (VECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). When stimulated, CaSR can further increase the cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_cyt) in two ways: intracellular Ca²⁺ release from endo/sarcoplasmic reticulum (ER/SR) and extracellular Ca²⁺ entry through Ca²⁺-permeable cation channels. In endothelium, increased Ca²⁺ subsequently activate nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and intermediate conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels (IKCa), resulting in vasodilation through NOS-mediated NO release or membrane hyperpolarization. In VSMCs, CaSR-induced intracellular Ca²⁺ increase causes blood vessel constriction. CaSR activation predominantly induces vasorelaxation of whole vascular tissues through VECs-dependent mechanisms; however, CaSR-induced Ca²⁺ signaling in VSMCs may play a braking role in CaSR-mediated vasorelaxation. Emerging evidence reveals the importance of CaSR in the regulation of vascular tone and blood pressure. Here, we summarized recent advances in CaSR-mediated vascular reaction and the underlying mechanisms in different species, including humans. In addition, several studies have demonstrated that CaSR dysfunction may be associated with some fatal vascular diseases, such as pulmonary arterial hypertension, primary hypertension, diabetes, acute myocardial infarction and vascular calcification. With the advance of studies on CaSR in vascular health and disease, it is expected positive modulators or negative modulators of CaSR used for the treatment of specific diseases may be promising therapeutic options for the prevention and/or treatment of vascular diseases.