Influence of pre-adolescent diet on quantitative ultrasound measurements of the calcaneus in young adult women.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Longitudinal cohort follow-up assessing early dietary intake against later bone ultrasound parameters.
PubMed 10624461 · doi:10.1007/s001980050181
What was done
The study examined whether pre-adolescent dietary intake is associated with calcaneal quantitative ultrasound (QUS) measurements in young adulthood. In a convenience subsample of 63 Black and White women aged 18–19 years from the 10-year longitudinal National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS), dietary intake of calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, and protein collected at ages 9–11 years was evaluated against adult calcaneal QUS parameters using stepwise multiple regression controlling for race, height, and weight.
What was found
Pre-adolescent calcium intake was positively related to broadband ultrasound attenuation, and pre-adolescent magnesium intake was positively related to speed of sound and bone velocity. The abstract reports no numerical effect sizes, correlation/regression coefficients, or p-values.
Why it matters
This study provides preliminary longitudinal evidence that childhood mineral intake—specifically calcium and magnesium—may influence adult bone structural properties assessed by quantitative ultrasound.
Limits
The study is limited by a small convenience sample (n = 63), which precludes strong inferences. The abstract omits exact numerical values and confidence intervals, and dietary recall in youth is subject to measurement error and residual confounding.
Cited by
- partial Magnesium-rich diets during pre-adolescence are positively associated with bone mineral density in young adulthood, particularly in the heel bone.