Effect of Sodium Intake on Calcium Retention in Black and White Adolescent Girls.

Detailed Summary

Optimal calcium retention is important for building bone mass within the genetic potential, a key to reducing risk of osteoporosis later in life. Calcium retention is high during the rapid growth period. The investigators know that urinary calcium is affected by sodium intake but the investigators do not know the effects of sodium intake during the growth spurt or the differences in calcium retention between blacks and whites. Our hypothesis was that a high dietary sodium increases the calcium intakes required for optimal calcium retention in both black and white adolescent girls. The investigators tested calcium retention while girls consumed a low and high sodium diet during three week periods. The subjects were housed in a Purdue fraternity house during the summer and they were supervised at all times by trained staff. During the summer of 1999, subjects consumed diets with 2 levels of dietary Na+ with a fixed diet low in calcium. On the next summer, they switched to a high calcium diet. Subjects collected fecal and urine daily for 20 days. Other measurements included daily body weight, blood pressure every other day, blood sample at the end of each session. Baseline measures included bone mass, self-assessment of pubertal development, a physical examination and diet history.

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