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. 2024 Jan 9;16(2):215.
doi: 10.3390/nu16020215.

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

Jadwiga Malczewska-Lenczowska  1 , Olga Surała  1 , Dominika Granda  1 , Beata Szczepańska  1 , Adam Czaplicki  2 , Rafał Kubacki  3
Affiliations

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

Jadwiga Malczewska-Lenczowska et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

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.

Keywords: adolescent; bone mineral density (BMD); ferritin; free 25-hydroxyvitamin D; male; trabecular bone score (TBS).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Spearman correlation coefficients for the sport group (Significance level of correlation coefficients: * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001; Fe_S (Fe stores), VitD_T (total 25(OH)D), VitD_F (free 25(OH)D), ADOS_CA (dietary calcium intake).).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Spearman correlation coefficients for the Control group (Significance level of correlation coefficients: ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001; Fe_S (Fe stores), VitD_T (total 25(OH)D), VitD_F (free 25(OH)D), ADOS_CA (dietary calcium intake).).
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