Dietary Calcium-to-Phosphorous Ratio, Metabolic Risk Factors and Lipid Accumulation Product, Skeletal Muscle Mass, and Visceral Fat Area Among Healthy Young Individuals.

Abstract

Background: Numerous studies have revealed the role of low dietary calcium-to-phosphorous ratio and low bone health. However, its possible role in visceral adiposity, skeletal muscle mass (SMM), and metabolic parameters has not been investigated before. Therefore, the aim of the current cross-sectional study was to evaluate the relation between dietary calcium-to-phosphorous ratio, metabolic risk factors, SMM, and visceral fat area (VFA) among physically active young individuals.

Methods: In the current study, the sample was composed of 391 healthy young individuals (e.g., 205 men and 186 women), aged between 20 and 35 years old, who were engaged in moderate physical activity for at least 4 hr per week and were recruited thorough cluster sampling from seven sport clubs. Anthropometric measurements were performed, and VFA and SMM index (SMI) were calculated. Biochemical assays were also performed by standard kits. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance, analysis of co-variance, and multinomial logistic regression analysis using SPSS software.

Results: Those in the fourth quartile of dietary calcium-to-phosphorous ratio were more likely to have lower VFA (odds ratio [OR] = 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.97, 0.99]; p = .023) and a nonsignificantly higher SMI (OR = 1.15; 95% CI [0.99, 1.34]; p = .058) after adjustment for the effects of confounders (e.g., age, gender, body mass index, physical activity level, dietary energy intake). Also, being in the third quartile of dietary calcium-to-phosphorous ratio made the subjects more susceptible to have lower insulin concentration (OR = 0.99; 95% CI [0.88, 0.93]; p = .026) in the adjusted model.

Conclusion: The findings of the current study revealed that a higher dietary calcium-to-phosphorous ratio in the habitual diet was negatively associated with visceral adiposity and insulin concentrations and higher SMM among physically active young individuals. Further interventional studies are required to confer causality that was not inferable in the current study because of cross-sectional design.