Dietary calcium intake and bone loss from the spine in healthy postmenopausal women

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Abstract
Controversy exists over the relationship between calcium intake and axial bone loss. We measured bone density of the spine (L2–4) by dual photon absorptiometry (DPA) two times, 7 mo apart, in 76 healthy postmenopausal women aged 40–70 y. Ca intake was assessed by food-frequency questionnaire. Women with a Ca intake less than 405 mg/d lost spine density at a rate that was significantly greater than that of women with an intake greater than 777 mg/d, p = 0.026. There appears to be a threshold of Ca intake below which increased Ca in the diet is likely to be beneficial in reducing spine mineral loss.