Associação entre ingestão dietética de cálcio e prevalência de síndrome metabólica em adolescentes

Abstract

Calcium plays an important role in regulating energy metabolism and body weight control by inhibiting lipogenesis, thus contributing to the prevention of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Epidemiological studies point to calcium intake below the recommendations established for adolescents, while the prevalence of overweight has been increasing significantly. This study aimed to evaluate dietary calcium intake and its association with metabolic syndrome, its components, basal insulin and HOMA-IR in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, who attended public and private schools in Brazilian cities, with more than 100,000 population. We conducted a cross-sectional, multicenter, school-based study, subproject of the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA). Anthropometric, biochemical and food consumption data were collected. For the diagnosis of Metabolic Syndrome, the criteria established by the International Diabetes Federation (2007) were used. Poisson regression analysis was used to verify the association and prevalence ratios and their respective 95% CIs were estimated. Data were examined using STATA software version 14 (StataCorp., CollegeStation, USA) using the survey module to analyze complex sample data. Low calcium intake was observed in the population, with an average of 598mg ± 453.2, lower than recommended for the age group. The prevalence of MS was 2.5% in the population studied. No significant associations were found between calcium intake, MS (PR: 0.95, 95% CI 0.87-1.04), nor for its components. Higher serum levels of insulin and HOMA-IR were found among adolescents with calcium intake below P50. However, no significant association was observed between calcium intake and these biochemical markers. In conclusion, obese girls, 12 to 14 year olds, and public school students had lower calcium intake.