The Relationship between Bone Health Parameters, Vitamin D and Iron Status, and Dietary Calcium Intake in Young Males

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 16; no. 2; p. 215
• Main Authors: Malczewska-Lenczowska, Jadwiga, Surała, Olga, Granda, Dominika, Szczepańska, Beata, Czaplicki, Adam, Kubacki, Rafał
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 09.01.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Adolescent; Alfacalcidol; Athletes; Blood; blood serum; Body composition; Bone Density; bone health; Bones; Calcifediol; Calcium; Calcium, Dietary; Dairy products; dietary calcium; dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; ferritin; Ferritins; Humans; Iron; lumbar spine; Male; males; Metabolism; Micronutrients; Mineralization; Older people; Pediatrics; Phosphates; Questionnaires; Software; Standard scores; transferrin receptors; variance; Vertebrae; Vitamin D; Vitamins; Volleyball; Young Adult; Poland; France; United States > US; Japan; adolescent; ferritin; trabecular bone score (TBS); bone mineral density (BMD); free 25-hydroxyvitamin D; male
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu16020215

Vitamin D, calcium, and iron are micronutrients crucial for bone health. However, their effect has been studied primarily in the cortical bone, with vitamin D status being assessed mainly from the total 25(OH)D serum fraction. The study aimed to investigate the impact of vitamin D (total and free fraction) and iron status (i.e., serum ferritin or soluble transferrin receptor) and calcium intake (ADOS-Ca questionnaire) on lumbar cortical and trabecular bone. In a cohort of 113 male subjects (76 athletes, 37 non-athletes) aged 15–19, the lumbar spine status (Z-score, bone mineral apparent density (BMAD), and trabecular bone score (TBS)) was determined using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Relationships between the examined micronutrients and bone health parameters were observed only in athletes. Free 25(OH)D was significantly (p < 0.001) correlated with Z-score and BMAD, while total 25(OH)D (p < 0.001) and iron status (ferritin, Fe stores; p < 0.01) correlated solely with BMAD. Free 25(OH)D and ferritin concentrations were the best determinants of bone status (R2 = 0.330; p < 0.001) and explained 25% and 7% of the BMAD variance, respectively. No relationships were found between the micronutrients and TBS. The results confirmed the positive influence of vitamin D and iron on cortical, but not trabecular, bone status solely in physically active subjects. In athletes, free 25(OH)D seems to be a superior indicator of bone health to a total 25(OH)D fraction.