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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #203526
Title: Dietary factors affecting calcium and zinc absorption

Author
item OLUSEYI, ALIU - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICIN
item Abrams, Steven
item Griffin, Ian
item O'BRIEN, KIMBERLY - CORNELL UNIV NEW YORK
item THACHER, TOM - JOS UNIV HOSP JOS,NIGERIA
item HILMERS, DAVID - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICIN

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/13/2005
Publication Date: 4/2/2006
Citation: Oluseyi, A., Abrams, S., Griffin, I., O'Brien, K., Thacher, T., Hilmers, D. 2006. Dietary factors affecting calcium and zinc absorption [abstract]. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 20(5):A991.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Rickets is common in Nigerian children and responds better to calcium (Ca) than to vitamin D supplementation. We reported in previous studies in which oral isotopes were given with maize pap that Ca intakes are similarly low and Ca absorption (abs) similarly high in rachitic and non-rachitic Nigerian children. We hypothesized that inhibitors of Ca abs in the diet might contribute to Ca-deficient rickets. Rachitic (n=11) and non-rachitic (n=7) Nigerian children (2-8 years) were studied after 6 wk of chewable Ca carbonate (600 mg/d) and vitamin D2 (50,000 IU/wk) supplementation. Using established stable isotope methods Ca abs was measured from supplements with and without a meal. One week later Ca abs was measured from the corn-based porridge supplemented with Ca following dephytinization. Dephytinization was achieved with phytase (Sigma). In all cases the Ca load (250 mg) was the same. Ca abs (without a meal) was lower in the rachitic children (27.6 +/-11.3%) than the controls (40.2 +/-14.2%, P = 0.053). Ca abs was significantly higher from the dephytinized meal than without a meal (P = 0.013), and similar in the control (50.1 +/-14.0%) and rachitic children (40.9 +/-17.6%, P = 0.25). Rachitic Nigerian children have reduced Ca abs without a meal. Consumption of a dephytinized meal increased Ca abs, and the difference between rachitic and non-rachitic children was no longer observed.