Abstract
This study investigates differences and associations between urinary mineral concentrations and calcaneal bone measures assessed by quantitative ultrasonography (QUS) in 4322 children (3.1–11.9 years, 50.6% boys) from seven European countries. Urinary mineral concentrations and calcaneal QUS parameters differed significantly across countries. Clustering revealed a lower stiffness index (SI) in children with low and medium urinary mineral concentrations, and a higher SI in children with high urinary mineral concentrations. Urinary sodium (uNa) was positively correlated with urinary calcium (uCa), and was positively associated with broadband ultrasound attenuation and SI after adjustment for age, sex and fat-free mass. Urinary potassium (uK) was negatively correlated with uCa but positively associated with speed of sound after adjustment. No association was found between uCa and QUS parameters after adjustment, but when additionally adjusting for uNa, uCa was negatively associated with SI. Our findings suggest that urinary mineral concentrations are associated with calcaneal QUS parameters and may therefore implicate bone properties. These findings should be confirmed in longitudinal studies that include the food intake and repeated measurement of urinary mineral concentrations to better estimate usual intake and minimize bias.
Highlights
IntroductionGenetic-ethnic factors, body composition, and hormonal status as well as lifestyle behaviour such as physical activity and diet appear to influence peak bone mass [2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
Reaching an optimal “peak bone mass”, the amount of bone tissue present at the end of the skeletal maturation, has been reported to prevent osteoporosis and associated fractures later in life [1].Genetic-ethnic factors, body composition, and hormonal status as well as lifestyle behaviour such as physical activity and diet appear to influence peak bone mass [2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
This study aims (1) to describe differences in urinary excretion of urinary calcium (uCa), uMg, uPO4, Urinary sodium (uNa) and uK in European children aged 3–12 years and (2) to assess the associations between these urinary mineral concentrations and calcaneal bone measures assessed by quantitative ultrasonography (QUS)
Summary
Genetic-ethnic factors, body composition, and hormonal status as well as lifestyle behaviour such as physical activity and diet appear to influence peak bone mass [2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. The main function of bone is to provide mechanical support to protect the internal organs and to act as a repository for the systemic mineral homeostasis [9]. These functions are enabled by the unique composition of bone tissue, the bone matrix containing 35%. An excessive intake of Na is considered detrimental for bone as it increases uCa excretion due to an intimate association between renal tubular mechanisms involved in the re-absorption of these ions [15]
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