Association between dietary calcium and indicators of body composition in Korean young adults

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible as-sociation between dietary calcium intake and various indicators of body composi-tion in Korean young adults. Materials and methods: The present study was conducted among 100 young adults in their 20s and 30s. Height, body weight, and body compo-sition (skeletal muscle mass, fat-free mass, body fat mass, percent body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, and visceral fat area) were measured using InBody. Dietary intake survey using the 24-hour recall method was conducted, and dietary calcium intake was analyzed us-ing CAN-Pro 5.0. Results: Calcium intake was 450.30 mg/day (56.29% of recommended intake (RI)) for men and 471.40 mg/day (67.34% of RI) for women, but this was not a significant difference. Daily calcium intake from milk and dairy products of all subjects was the highest at 92.61 mg, followed by fish (91.15 mg), grains (84.22 mg), and vegeta-bles (75.29 mg). Total calcium intake was not significantly correlated with body composi-tion parameters after adjusting for sex, age, and energy intake of all subjects. However, calcium intake from fruits was significantly positively correlated with skeletal muscle mass (p < 0.001). Calcium intake from puls-es, fish, and seaweeds was significantly neg-atively correlated with the waist-to-hip ratio (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Calcium intake from fruits, pulses, fish, and seaweeds showed a significant correlation with body composi-tion indicators, such as skeletal muscle mass and waist-to-hip ratio, indicating the possi-bility of an association between calcium in-take and body composition.