Support The World's Smartest Network
×

Help the New York Academy of Sciences bring late-breaking scientific information about the COVID-19 pandemic to global audiences. Please make a tax-deductible gift today.

DONATE
This site uses cookies.
Learn more.

×

This website uses cookies. Some of the cookies we use are essential for parts of the website to operate while others offer you a better browsing experience. You give us your permission to use cookies, by continuing to use our website after you have received the cookie notification. To find out more about cookies on this website and how to change your cookie settings, see our Privacy policy and Terms of Use.

We encourage you to learn more about cookies on our site in our Privacy policy and Terms of Use.

Addressing Global Calcium Deficiency

An estimated 3.5 billion people around the globe are at risk of calcium deficiency due to inadequate dietary intake. While primarily associated with bone health, calcium has also been shown to reduce the risk of preeclampsia and associated complications, which are leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. Populations in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs), especially in parts of Asia, Africa, and South America, are at greatest risk of low calcium intakes, and have the higher rates of mortality from maternal hypertensive disorders, according to the Global Burden of Disease.

Figure legend - Global rates of mortality due to maternal hypertensive disorders in 2019 (deaths/100,000), according to the Global Burden of Disease

Figure legend - Global rates of mortality due to maternal hypertensive disorders in 2019 (deaths/100,000), according to the Global Burden of Disease

The Nutrition Science Program of the New York Academy of Sciences, in partnership with the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, assembled a Scientific Advisory Committee (a foundation group composed of five calcium experts), followed by a larger group of 22 specialists named “Calcium Task Force” to guide the global agenda for Calcium. In March and April 2021, the Nutrition Science Program of the New York Academy of Sciences convened two virtual meetings with the Calcium Task Force. This Task Force is composed of experts in micronutrients, malnutrition, pediatrics, gynecology and obstetrics, biochemistry, public health, supplementation and food fortification. During these two virtual meetings, the Task Force assessed the evidence on global calcium deficiency and its health consequences, and useful indicators of calcium absorption and intake. It also considered potential interventions such as calcium supplementation for pregnant women to improve pregnancy outcomes and associated implementation challenges, as well as food-based interventions to improve the intake of this vital micronutrient, especially in populations with low calcium intake. The group was also commissioned to identify the research gaps and provide guidance for interventions and policies based on the most current available evidence.

Scientific Advisory Committee

Per Ashorn

Tampere University

Sufia Askari

Children’s Investment Fund Foundation

Erick Boy

HarvestPlus

Klaus Kraemer

Sight and Life

Daniel Roth

University of Toronto/SickKids

Calcium Task Force

Steven Abrams

Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas at Austin

José Belizán

Department of Mother and Child Health Research, Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (IECS-CONICET)

Gabriela Cormick

Department of Mother and Child Health Research, Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy

Carolina Diaz Quijano

Omya International AG

Katherine Dickin

Cornell University

Amalia Driller-Colangelo

Harvard University

Wafaie Fawzi

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Jean Humphrey

Johns Hopkins University

Justus Hofmeyr

University of Botswana

Anuradha Khadilkar

Hirabai Cowasji Jehangir MRI

Keith Lividini

HarvestPlus

Rubina Mandilk

Hirabai Cowasji Jehangir MRI

Lynnette Neufeld

Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

Victor Owino

International Atomic Energy Agency

Cristina Palacios

Florida International University

John Pettifor

University of Witwatersrand (emeritus)

Christine Stewart

University of California, Davis

Chris Sudfeld

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Prashanth Thankachan

Saint John’s Research Institute, Bangalore

Salvador Villalpando

Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez

Victor Taleon

HarvestPlus

Connie Weaver

Purdue University

Funding Support

Children’s Investment Fund Foundation

First Meeting of the Calcium Task Force

On March 1-3, 2021, the Nutrition Science Program of the New York Academy of Sciences convened the first of two meetings of the Calcium Task Force. The agenda was structured around three major topics: epidemiology of inadequate calcium intakes and associated health outcomes, calcium supplementation for pregnant women, and food-based interventions to improve calcium intake.

Second Meeting of the Calcium Task Force

The second meeting was hosted on April 26-28, 2021. The Calcium Task Force refined the discussions of the first meeting, drew conclusions and recommendations based on available evidence, and identified areas for future research for the three major topics.

Addressing Global Calcium Deficiency

Scientific publications associated with the Calcium initiative

The discussions and conclusions from the Calcium Task Force meetings were presented in three peer-reviewed publications. Additional activities are associated with the Calcium Initiative, including: two systematic reviews conducted by Tampere University to assess the impact of maternal dietary calcium supplementation (alone or with vitamin D) during pregnancy on maternal and infant health; feasibility assessments of the food-based solutions carried out by HarvestPlus; modeling analyses for the cost-effectiveness of interventions and the locally available foods that could provide additional calcium. The following articles associated with this initiative were published in a “Calcium Special Issue”:

  1. Calcium Deficiency Worldwide: Prevalence of Inadequate Intakes and Associated Health Outcomes
  2. Calcium supplementation for the prevention of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: current evidence and programmatic considerations
  3. Interventions to improve calcium intake through foods in populations with low intake
  4. Current Methods for Calcium Status Assessment: Dietary Intake and Biomarkers
  5. Calcium supplementation during pregnancy and maternal and offspring bone health: a systematic review and meta-analysis
  6. Calcium supplementation during pregnancy and long-term offspring outcome: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis
  7. Could local foods achieve recommended calcium intakes for nutritionally vulnerable populations in Uganda, Guatemala, and Bangladesh?
  8. Including calcium-fortified water or flour in modeled diets based on local foods could improve calcium intake for women, adolescent girls, and young children in Bangladesh, Uganda, and Guatemala

Advocacy Briefs

  1. Calcium Policy Brief
  2. Key Calcium Facts