Reduction in 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D in Children with Increased Lead Absorption

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Abstract
STUDIES in laboratory animals have demonstrated that a diet low in calcium increases lead retention and that there are associated biochemical and morphologic manifestations of enhanced lead toxicity.1,2 This increased toxicity has been attributed to an increase in the gastrointestinal absorption of lead, although the precise roles of dietary calcium and vitamin D in modifying lead absorption have not been defined. Recent experimental observations suggest that calcium and lead compete for similar binding sites on mucosal proteins in the intestine.3 Nonetheless, lead is bound mainly to a high-molecular-weight mucosal protein, whereas calcium is bound primarily to a lower-molecular-weight protein . . .