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The amount of calcium your body absorbs
might depend, in part, on the amount of dietary fiber you
consume.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report that
patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes (type 2)
excreted less calcium through their urine when they consumed
50 grams of fiber a day than when they ate 24 grams a day.
Excreting less calcium indicates that they absorbed less of
the mineral.
"We already know that fiber helps improve your
cholesterol and glucose control and improves your bowel
regularity. Our new findings suggest that dietary fiber
reduces the body's capacity to absorb calcium," said Dr.
Abhimanyu Garg, professor of internal medicine and an
investigator in the Center for Human Nutrition at UT
Southwestern. He is senior author of a study appearing in
Diabetes Care. "Because more calcium equals better
bone health, we recommend that people on high-fiber diets
talk to their physician about increasing their dietary
calcium as well, in order to get the most benefit from both."
Dr. Garg said it's important to speak with a physician
or a registered dietitian before increasing your calcium
intake because excessive levels may cause kidney stones.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends a daily
intake of 24 grams of dietary fiber, but the average American
consumes about 14 to 15 grams of fiber a day.
Sometimes called "roughage," dietary fiber is the indigestible
portion of plant foods that pushes food through the digestive
system, absorbing water and easing defecation. Calcium is a
nutrient found in food that is absorbed by the body and then
excreted in urine, feces or sweat. It is the most abundant
mineral in the human body.
Prior research at UT Southwestern has shown that a high intake
of dietary fiber, mostly from fruits and vegetables, lowers
blood glucose levels and leads to decreased insulin levels in
the blood, as well as lowering blood lipid concentrations in
patients with type 2 diabetes, the most prevalent type of
diabetes.
For the current study, 13 patients with type 2 diabetes ate
either a high-fiber diet (50 grams per day) or the
moderate-fiber diet (24 grams per day) recommended by the ADA
for six weeks, then switched to the other diet for six weeks.
All participants stayed at UT Southwestern's Clinical and
Translational Research Center (CTRC) for the final week of
each six-week period.
CTRC staff prepared both diets so that they contained the same
number and proportion of calories from carbohydrates, fats and
proteins, as well as an equal amount of minerals such as
calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium and potassium. The
high-fiber diet included numerous fiber-rich foods including
cantaloupe, grapefruit, papaya, okra, winter and zucchini
squash, granola and oatmeal. No supplements were used.
"The reduction of urinary calcium excretion on high-fiber
diets tells us that the amount of dietary fiber has a direct
impact on calcium absorption," Dr. Garg said. "In other words,
the participants excreted less calcium on the high-fiber diet
because the additional fiber caused their bodies to absorb
less calcium."
Though most of the additional fiber in the high-fiber diet was
soluble fiber, Dr. Garg said he cannot say for sure whether
soluble or insoluble fiber affects calcium absorption.
"Generally, more fiber of either type is beneficial," he said.
"We should encourage people to try food sources rich in
fiber and calcium such as spinach, broccoli, figs, papaya,
artichoke, okra, beans, mustard and turnip greens, and
cactus pads."
Other UT Southwestern researchers involved in the study were
Dr. Meena Shah, lead author and clinical associate professor
of clinical nutrition; Dr. Manisha Chandalia, clinical
associate professor of internal medicine with the Center for
Human Nutrition; Beverley Adams-Huet, assistant professor of
clinical sciences; Linda Brinkley, former research dietitian;
Dr. Khashayar Sakhaee, chief of mineral metabolism; and Dr.
Scott Grundy, director of the Center for Human Nutrition.
UT Southwestern Medical Center 03 0 9
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