Dietary intake of Brazilian black and white men and its relationship to the bone mineral density of the femoral neck.

Context And Objective: Osteoporosis and fragility fractures are an important public health problem. Although bone loss occurs with age universally, the incidence of bone loss fractures varies greatly between racial groups. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between calcium, protein and energy intake and the bone mineral density of the femoral neck in Brazilian black and white men.

Design And Setting: This was a cross-sectional study, carried out in a teaching hospital in São Paulo.

Methods: The participants were 277 volunteer men, aged 50 years or older. The bone mineral density of the femoral neck (FNBMD) was measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. The relationship between FNBMD and calcium, protein and energy intake, as assessed by a three-day food record, was analyzed using multiple linear regression models and was adjusted for age, height, physical activity and education level. The analysis was stratified by race (white and black).

Results: FNBMD presented similar means in the two racial groups (p = 0.538). Protein and energy intake did not show a significant correlation with FNBMD, either in the white or in the black population. Calcium intake showed a strong and independent correlation with FNBMD in the black men (partial r = 0.42).

Conclusion: Calcium intake was a determinant of FNBMD for black men, aged 50 years or older, but not for the white ones.