Correlation between Body Mass Index and Serum Calcium levels in Adults Sudanese People, Gezira State

Abstract

Calcium is necessary nutrient for normal growth and development. The study aimed to document the normal values of serum calcium levels in healthy Sudanese adults in gezira state and its relation to the body mass index (BMI). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during 2018 to 2021 in Gezira state on 534 adults,42.3% (226) were males and 57.7% (308) were females, age ranged from 20 and 60 years. A questionnaire was used for data collection to assess the essential demographic data. Three ml of blood was collected in heparin vacuum tubes and serum calcium was measured by Calcium-O-Cresolphthalein Complex one colorimetric method. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version (23). BMI was calculated as the weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (kg/m2). The participants were further grouped into four groups based on BMI as follows: underweight, normal, overweight and obese. Results: The mean serum calcium levels of participants with overweight and obese were (9.58± 0.68, 9.75 ± 0.64) respectively, for females (9.42 ± 0.63, 9.47 ± 0.62) respectively, for males as compared to (9.43 ± 0.72,9.52 ± 0.79) for females (9.26 ± 0.67, 9.35 ± 0.72) for males with underweight and normal BMI, respectively. BMI correlated positively and significantly with serum calcium levels in obese individuals (r = 0.72, P = 0.00). Conclusion: Our study revealed that, serum calcium is positively associated with BMI in both sexes. Micronutrients such as calcium should be considered in the management of obesity/overweight.