The effect of calcium supplementation in people under 35 years old: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

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#adult #bone-density #calcium #dietary-supplements #humans

The effect of calcium supplementation in people under 35 years old: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Liu et al., 2022 | Elife | Meta Analysis

Citation

Liu Yupeng, Le Siyu, ... Wang Shuran. The effect of calcium supplementation in people under 35 years old: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Elife. 2022-Sep-27;11. doi:10.7554/eLife.79002

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The effect of calcium supplementation on bone mineral accretion in people under 35 years old is inconclusive. To comprehensively summarize the evidence for the effect of calcium supplementation on bone mineral accretion in young populations (≤35 years). METHODS: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Pubmed, Embase, ProQuest, CENTRAL, WHO Global Index Medicus, Clinical Trials.gov, WHO ICTRP, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Data databases were systematically searched from database inception to April 25, 2021. Randomized clinical trials assessing the effects of calcium supplementation on bone mineral density (BMD) or bone mineral content (BMC) in people under 35 years old. RESULTS: This systematic review and meta-analysis identified 43 studies involving 7,382 subjects. Moderate certainty of evidence showed that calcium supplementation was associated with the accretion of BMD and BMC, especially on femoral neck (standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.627, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.338-0.915; SMD 0.364, 95% CI 0.134-0.595; respectively) and total body (SMD 0.330, 95% CI 0.163-0.496; SMD 0.149, 95% CI 0.006-0.291), also with a slight improvement effect on lumbar spine BMC (SMD 0.163, 95% CI 0.008-0.317), no effects on total hip BMD and BMC and lumbar spine BMD were observed. Very interestingly, subgroup analyses suggested that the improvement of bone at femoral neck was more pronounced in the peripeak bone mass (PBM) population (20-35 years) than the pre-PBM population (<20 years). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provided novel insights and evidence in calcium supplementation, which showed that calcium supplementation significantly improves bone mass, implying that preventive calcium supplementation before or around achieving PBM may be a shift in the window of intervention for osteoporosis. FUNDING: This work was supported by Wenzhou Medical University grant [89219029].

Key Findings

This systematic review and meta-analysis identified 43 studies involving 7,382 subjects. Moderate certainty of evidence showed that calcium supplementation was associated with the accretion of BMD and BMC, especially on femoral neck (standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.627, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.338-0.915; SMD 0.364, 95% CI 0.134-0.595; respectively) and total body (SMD 0.330, 95% CI 0.163-0.496; SMD 0.149, 95% CI 0.006-0.291), also with a slight improvement effect on lumbar spine BMC

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population young populations
Sample Size 7382
Age Range 20-35 years
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Adult
  • Bone Density
  • Calcium
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Humans
  • Minerals
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Vertical: calcium

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09