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Associations of vitamin C, calcium and protein with bone mass in postmenopausal Mexican American women

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Abstract

We investigated the associations of vitamin C, calcium and protein intakes with bone mass at the femoral neck and lumbar spine in postmenopausal Mexican American women. Bone mass was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and expressed as areal (BMD, g/cm2) and volumetric (bone mineral apparent density or BMAD, g/cm3) bone mineral density. Diet was assessed using a modified version of the National Cancer Institute Food Questionnaire, which was administered by trained bilingual interviewers familiar with Mexican dietary practices. Data gathered from 125 subjects were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis with age, body mass index (BMI), acculturation, years of estrogen use, physical activity, total energy intake, and the nutrient of interest as independent variables. Neither calcium nor calcium/protein ratio was associated with bone mineral density. There was evidence of a positive association between dietary vitamin C intake and femoral neck BMD (β=0.0002 g/cm2 per mg/day, SE=0.0001,p=0.07) and BMAD (β=0.0001 g/cm3 per mg/day, SE=0.00006,p<0.05), but vitamin C was not associated with lumbar spine bone mass. Further investigation of the role of vitamin C in skeletal health is warranted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Epidemiology, Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine, 94305-5092, Stanford, CA, USA

    M. -C. Wang RD, DrPH & J. L. Kelsey

  2. Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California

    M. Luz Villa & R. Marcus

  3. Department of the Muskuloskeletal Research Laboratory, Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Palo Alto, California, USA

    M. Luz Villa, R. Marcus & J. L. Kelsey

Authors
  1. M. -C. Wang RD, DrPH
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  2. M. Luz Villa
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  3. R. Marcus
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  4. J. L. Kelsey
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Correspondence to M. -C. Wang RD, DrPH.

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Wang, M.C., Luz Villa, M., Marcus, R. et al. Associations of vitamin C, calcium and protein with bone mass in postmenopausal Mexican American women. Osteoporosis Int 7, 533–538 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02652558

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02652558

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