Association Between Dietary Calcium or Dairy Product Intake and Metabolic Syndrome Risk: A Systematic Review and...

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of conditions increasing risk for heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
• Dietary calcium and dairy products are proposed to have protective effects against MetS, but evidence is inconsistent.
• Existing research lacks a comprehensive synthesis of the association between calcium/dairy intake and MetS prevalence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the association between dietary calcium intake or dairy consumption and MetS prevalence in adults.
• To evaluate the consistency and strength of evidence for a protective role of calcium and dairy in MetS.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis following PRISMA 2020 guidelines.
• Searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, and SCOPUS for eligible cross-sectional studies.
• Pooled odds ratios (ORs) for MetS comparing highest versus lowest intake categories of dietary calcium and dairy products.

Main Results:

• Higher dietary calcium intake was significantly associated with lower MetS odds (OR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.80-0.91).
• Higher dairy consumption was also inversely associated with MetS (OR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.72-0.85).
• Calcium intake correlated with improved individual MetS components, including blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Conclusions:

• Increased dietary calcium and dairy consumption are associated with a reduced prevalence of metabolic syndrome in adults.
• The current evidence, primarily from cross-sectional studies, does not establish a causal relationship.
• Further prospective and interventional studies are necessary to confirm the causal role of calcium-rich diets in MetS prevention.