Calcium Intake and Associated Factors in a General Japanese Population: Baseline Data of NIPPON DATA80/90 and the National Nutrition Survey

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the dietary calcium intake and associated other dietary factors among representative sample of Japanese general men and women. METHODS Data was obtained by linking NIPPON DATA80 and 90 with the corresponding National Nutrition Surveys held in 1980 and 1990. We analyzed data for 10,422 subjects (4585 men and 5837 women) in NIPPON DATA80 and 8342 subjects (3488 men and 4854 women) in NIPPON DATA90. Calcium intake was calculated by age groups. Dietary calcium intake was classified into quintiles and physical, life-style, and dietary parameters were examined across the quintiles. RESULTS For both men and women, calcium intake tended to be positively associated with age in NIPPON DATA80 and 90, and there were significant differences in estimated calcium intake between age groups. Calcium intake tended to be positively associated with age, protein, fat, saturated fat, vitamins A and C, sodium, potassium, and iron for men and women. Calcium intake also tended to be positively associated with intake of nuts, potatoes, sugar and sweeteners, soybeans and legumes, fruits, green and yellow vegetables, other vegetables, mushrooms, sea algae, fish and shellfish, eggs, and milk and dairy products for men and women. CONCLUSIONS The characteristics of calcium intake in Japanese people were able to be clarified by using the baseline data of NIPPON DATA and the National Nutrition Survey.