Calcium metabolism in postmenopausal osteoporosis: the influence of dietary calcium and net absorbed calcium.

A group of 85 females aged 48-77 years with postmenopausal crush fracture osteoporosis were investigated using a 7 day combined calcium balance and calcium tracer kinetic turnover study to assess the influence of dietary calcium and net absorbed calcium on bone metabolism. During the study, patients were on their habitual diet, as determined by a prestudy registration. Dietary calcium was measured after double serving of all the meals. All urine and feces were collected and analyzed for calcium content. Bone mineralization rate and bone resorption rate were determined by applying the continuously expanding calcium pool model to the tracer kinetic data. Urine calcium excretion and net absorbed calcium were correlated (r = 0.64, p less than 0.0001) with the following equation: urinary excreted calcium (mmol/day) = 2.4 + 0.4 X net absorbed calcium (mmol/day). Dermal calcium loss was not correlated with net absorbed calcium or urinary calcium. The net amount of absorbed calcium necessary to balance urinary and dermal losses was calculated to be 4.2 mmol calcium per day. The daily calcium intake necessary for obtaining a net absorbed calcium in excess of the urinary and dermal calcium losses and thereby ensure skeletal integrity was estimated to be 34.2 mmol calcium per day compared to an average intake of 27.9 +/- 7.6 (mean +/- SD) mmol/day. Net absorbed calcium correlated negatively to bone resorption rate (r = -0.31, p less than 0.005) and positively to bone mineralization rate (r = 0.29, p less than 0.01) and to calcium balance (r = 0.66, p less than 0.0001). Dietary calcium intake and calcium balance correlated positively (r = 0.38, p less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)