Dietary calcium intake in premenopausal Bangladeshi women: do socio-economic or physiological factors play a role?

Abstract

Objective: Evaluation of data on dietary calcium intake in premenopausal women of two socio-economic groups in Bangladesh. Design: A cross sectional study. Three days dietary records were used to estimate habitual calcium intake. Setting: Two regions of Bangladesh. The Dhaka city area and the Betagair Union in the sub-district Nandail, Mymensingh. Subjects: A total of 191 subjects of two groups (low socio-economic group ¼ group L, n ¼ 101 and high socio-economic group ¼ group H, n ¼ 90) of Bangladeshi women aged 16 -40 y. About 87% of the subjects were housewives and the rest 13% were distributed in other different professions. Each group consisted of three sub-groups (non-pregnant non-lactating ¼ 1, pregnant ¼ 2 and lactating ¼ 3). Results: The influence of socio-economic status on dietary intake of calcium (P < 0.001) was observed in this study. The dietary intake of calcium was influenced by physiological status (PS) in high income group only (P < 0.005). The mean dietary calcium intake was significantly higher (P < 0.005) in all sub-groups of this group compared with the corresponding sub-groups in low income group. Although in group H, 47% of subjects failed to meet even the lowest level (400 -500 mg=day) of WHO recommended dietary allowances (RDA) of calcium for adult women. No subject in group L was found to meet the RDA level. Moreover, 63% of the women in group L had calcium intake lower than 200 mg=day. These figure could be more critical in both groups if we consider the recent USA-RDAs of calcium for adult women (1000 mg=day). The observed sources of dietary calcium were different in the two groups. Conclusions: The results of the study suggested that low calcium intake could reduce the bone accretion rates and increase the risk of osteoporosis in the subjects of the present study. Calcium rich food may be recommended for women in both groups.

Mini Nutritional Assessment of rural elderly people in Bangladesh: the impact of demographic, socio-economic and health factors

“…Information on the nutritional status of older persons in low-income countries such as Bangladesh is scarce and not well documented 17 . Research and public health activities in Bangladesh have so far focused largely on nutritional aspects related to children and women of reproductive age 18,19 . The present paper aims to inform about the magnitude of malnutrition that prevails among an elderly population in rural Bangladesh.…”

Mini Nutritional Assessment of rural elderly people in Bangladesh: the impact of demographic, socio-economic and health factors

“…Research and public health activities in Bangladesh have so far focused largely on nutritional aspects related to children and women of reproductive age 18,19 .…”

Dietary phytate intake inhibits the bioavailability of iron and calcium in the diets of pregnant women in rural Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study

“…About 63 % of Bangladeshi women in the low-income group have inadequate calcium intake [10]. Besides the inadequate intake of calcium, available studies have shown low to marginal levels of serum calcium in the pregnant women of Bangladesh [11][12][13].…”