Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2005, 206(4)

Intakes of Calcium and Other Nutrients Related to Bone Health in Japanese Female College Students: A Study Using the Duplicate Portion Sampling Method

KIMIKO UENO, KAZUTOSHI NAKAMURA,¹ TOMOKO NISHIWAKI, TOSHIKO SAITO,² YOKO OKUDA¹ and MASAHARU YAMAMOTO¹

Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Niigata University, ¹Department of Community Preventive Medicine, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, and ²Department of Health and Nutrition, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan

The purposes of this study were to determine intakes of nutrients related to bone health, such as calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), potassium (K), and protein, in Japanese female college students, using the duplicate portion sampling method, and to identify possible lifestyle factors explaining their calcium intakes. Subjects were 106 Japanese female college students aged 19-23 years. All foods in the duplicate portions, as eaten by the subjects during a three-weekday period, were collected. The minerals and protein in the food samples were analyzed. Life-style information was obtained by interview. Levels of cognitive eating restraint (CER) were assessed by the Three-Factor Eating Inventory. Average intakes of dietary Ca, P, Na, K, and protein were 380 (SD 209) mg/day, 649 (SD 212) mg/day, 2,535 (SD 847) mg/day, 1,108 (SD 429) mg/day, and 41.7 (SD 12.6) g/day, respectively. Ca intake was significantly associated with the frequency of milk intake (R² = 0.278, p < 0.001), intake of other dairy products (R² = 0.338, p < 0.001), and meal skipping (R² = 0.161, p < 0.001), but not with CER score (p = 0.378). Female college students are at high risk for poor Ca nutrition. Low intake of nutrients relevant to bone health is considered to adversely affect bone metabolism in young women.

keywords —— bone health; dietary calcium; duplication sampling method; female college student; minerals

© 2005 Tohoku University Medical Press

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Correspondence: Kimiko Ueno, RN, MA, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Niigata University 2-746, Asahimachi-dori, Niigata City 951-8518, Japan.

e-mail: uenok@clg.niigata-u.ac.jp