Relationships between Dietary Calcium Intake and Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference in Male Students Residing in Dormitories of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2009

New evidences and recent studies support regulatory role of dietary calcium intake on fat metabolism. Since obesity may be more precisely defined by determining body mass index and fat distribution through assessing waist circumference, present study aimed to elucidate the relationships between dietary calcium intake and BMI and waist circumference. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 402 male students residing in ormitories of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2009. Daily Ca intake was estimated using a food frequency questionnaire for one year and 24 hour dietary recall questionnaire for 3 days. Height, weight, waist circumference, and body mass index were measured. Kolmogorov Smirnov and Pearson coefficient tests were applied to assess normal distribution of data and determine the relationships between BMI and waist circumference and calcium intake, respectively. ANOVA test was used to compare dietary intake of calcium in different BMI categories. Average age of students was 21.1±11 year and respective values for BMI and daily calcium intake were 23.9±4.8 kgm-2 and 622.23 ± 277.9 mg. A negative correlation was found between daily dietary calcium intake and BMI. Subjects falling in normal BMI range had higher daily Ca intake than those falling in overweight or obese students. Statistically significant differences were observed in daily Ca intake of BMI and waist circumference categories (p<0.05). Finding of current study confirms the inverse relationships between daily dietary calcium intake and BMI and waist circumference. Further studies are required to evaluate these relationships for both genders in a large number of participants.