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ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Healthy Body Weight Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #219628
Title: Adequate dietary calcium restores vertebral trabecular bone microarchitecture and strength and improves femur calcium concentration following calcium depletion in young female rats

Author
item Hunt, Curtiss
item STOECKER, BARBARA

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/31/2008
Publication Date: 4/15/2008
Citation: Hunt, C., Stoecker, B.J. 2008. Adequate dietary calcium restores vertebral trabecular bone microarchitecture and strength and improves femur calcium concentration following calcium depletion in young female rats. [abstract] Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 22:883.1.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: To determine whether dietary calcium deficiency during adolescence permanently reduces lifetime potential to attain peak bone mass and strength, female Sprague-Dawley rats were separated into groups (n=10) and fed an AIN-93G-based diet containing 20% (1000 mg Ca/kg) of the calcium requirement from weaning until 105 d of age (DEF); switched near sexual maturity (63 d of age) to 100% of the requirement (5000 mg Ca/kg) (RP); or pairfed (5000 mg Ca/kg) throughout to group RP (PF). At 105 d of age, Ca repletion restored L4 trabecular bone volume fraction (RP: 27.0 ± 1.1%; PF: 28.1 ± 1.2%; p = 0.46) and strength (estimated by force to compression with finite element analysis) (RP: 11.51 ± 0.87 N; PF: 11.9 ± 1.42 N; p =0.83). In femurs, Ca repletion increased (DEF: 176 ± 1; RP: 214 ± 3; p < 0.0001) but did not completely restore (RP: 214 ± 3; PF: 243 ± 8 mg Ca/g; p < 0.0001) femur calcium concentration. However, cortical thickness (measured at midshaft of femur diaphysis) was completely restored by Ca repletion (RP: 0.6; PF: 0.6 mm; p = NS). Findings from this animal model suggest that the deleterious effects of calcium deficiency during adolescence can be reversed with proper dietary Ca intakes.