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Ethnic Variations in Dietary Calcium-to-Magnesium Ratios: Assessment Using Validated Mineral Food Frequency Questionnaires Ethnic Variations in Dietary Calcium-to-Magnesium Ratios: Assessment Using Validated Mineral Food Frequency Questionnaires
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Ethnic Variations in Dietary Calcium-to-Magnesium Ratios: Assessment Using Validated Mineral Food Frequency Questionnaires Ethnic Variations in Dietary Calcium-to-Magnesium Ratios: Assessment Using Validated Mineral Food Frequency Questionnaires

Emad Aldeen Alsayed, Patricia Shewokis, Jennifer Nasser and Deeptha Sukumar
Current developments in nutrition, v 9, 106168
01 May 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.106168
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.106168View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Open Access (License Unspecified),  Open

Abstract

Objectives: Calcium and magnesium are essential micronutrients that play important roles in several physiological processes, mostly those related to cardiovascular and metabolic health. The optimal dietary intake ratio of calcium and magnesium has significant implications, as imbalances are associated with increased risks of chronic diseases. It is therefore essential to assess the calcium-to-magnesium dietary intake ratio to determine whether this may contribute to ethnic differences in metabolic health parameters. Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of secondary data. Participants completed anthropometric measurements and detailed dietary assessments using validated Mg-FFQ and Ca-FFQ questionnaires specifically developed to estimate calcium and magnesium intake 1. The dietary calcium-to-magnesium ratios were calculated. We used the Kruskal-Wallis test to compare the Ca:Mg ratio differences among different ethnic groups and then used the Mann-Whitney U test for post-hoc pairwise comparisons. Results: This study included 155 participants, with 57 (36.8%) female and 98 (63.2%) male. The median age was 36.0 years (IQR: 18.0 years), and the median BMI was 28.0 kg/m2 (IQR: 5.2 kg/m2). Most participants were Caucasian, comprising 59.4% (n ¼ 92), followed by South Asian Indians at 18.1% (n ¼ 28), African Americans at 10.3% (n ¼ 16), Asians at 7.1% (n ¼ 11), and Hispanics at 5.2%(n¼8).Kruskal-Wallis showed ethnic group variations in dietary Ca:Mg ratios, H(4) ¼ 11.301, p ¼ .023. South Asian Indians (SAI) had the highest median Ca:Mg ratio (Mdn ¼ 4.83, IQR ¼ 4.58), followed by Caucasians (Mdn ¼ 4.02, IQR ¼ 3.02), Hispanics (Mdn ¼ 3.38, IQR ¼ 2.18), Asians (Mdn ¼3.08, IQR ¼ 3.01), and African Americans (Mdn ¼ 2.67, IQR ¼ 2.55), who had the lowest ratio. Conclusions: Use of validated Mg-FFQ and Ca-FFQ questionnaires provide a more accurate estimation of usual intake that allows for a more reliable reflection of long-term dietary intake patterns. Our findings show that Ca:Mg ratios were highest in the SAI population. Interestingly this population also has a high cardiometabolic risk. These findings may have significant implications for increased prevalence of CM risk in certain populations. Future interventional studies should determine whether lowering Ca:Mg ratio in the diet may confer any cardiometabolic benefit in specific ethnic populations.

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