There was no effect of calcium supplementation  on femoral neck or lumbar spine BMD .
There was no evidence of effect modification by baseline calcium intake , sex , ethnicity , physical activity or pubertal stage .
While there is a small effect of calcium supplementation in the upper limb , the increase in BMD which results is unlikely to result in a clinical ly significant decrease in fracture risk .
The results do not support the use of calcium supplementation  in healthy children as a public health intervention .
These results can not be extrapolated to children with medical conditions affecting bone metabolism
BACKGROUND Clinical trials have shown that  calcium supplementation in children can increase  bone mineral density ( BMD ) although this effect may not be maintained .
There has been no quantitative systematic review of this intervention .
To determine the effectiveness of calcium supplementation for improving BMD  in children .
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To determine if any effect varies by sex , pubertal stage , ethnicity or level of physical activity , and if any effect persists after supplementation is ceased .
Bone mass at final height in precocious puberty after gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist with and without calcium supplementation.
The aim of our longitudinal study was to evaluate bone mass in girls affected by central precocious puberty ( CPP ) that have reached final height , treated with GnRH agonist triptorelin ( GnRHa ) , with or without calcium supplementation . We studied 48 Caucasian females affected by CPP ( age at diagnosis , 7.19 + /- 0.96 yr ) , r and omly assigned to two groups : group A ( n = 21 ) treated with GnRHa and group B ( n = 27 ) treated with GnRHa plus calcium gluconolactate and carbonate ( 1 g calcium/day in two doses ) for at least 2 yr . Auxological parameters ( st and ing height , weight , body mass index ) and bone mineral density ( BMD ) at the lumbar spine [ L2-L4 , anteroposterior (AP)-BMD ; lateral BMD ; volumetric (v)BMD ) ] by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry were evaluated at the beginning [ chronological age ( CA ) , 7.29 + /- 0.91 yr ; bone age ( BA ) , 8.80 + /- 1.24 yr ] and end of treatment ( CA , 11.27 + /- 0.97 yr ; BA , 12.35 + /- 0.43 yr ) and at final height ( CA , 16.17 + /- 1.9 yr ; BA , 16.93 + /- 0.98 yr , in each case > 15 yr ) . Total bone mineral content , total BMD , and fat percentage were evaluated at the end of the study period using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry . Final height was significantly higher than predicted height at diagnosis ( 159.9 + /- 6.3 cm vs. 152.9 + /- 9.6 cm ; P < 0.05 ) . Body mass index and fat percentage were not statistically different from control values . Densitometric values at final evaluation in groups A and B together were lower than in controls , but the differences were not statistically significant . The vBMD was significantly higher in group B than in group A at the end of treatment period ( 0.213 + /- 0.022 g/cm(3 ) vs. 0.192 + /- 0.021 g/cm(3 ) ; P < 0.01 ) and at final evaluation ( 0.246 + /- 0.023 g/cm(3 ) vs. 0.227 + /- 0.024 g/cm(3 ) ; P < 0.05 ) . The percentage change ( Delta% ) between the start and end of treatment period in AP-BMD and vBMD was significantly higher in group B than in group A ( Delta% AP-BMD : 20.36 % + /- 1.10 % vs. 16.16 % + /- 1.90 % , P < 0.01 ; Delta% vBMD : 19.08 % + /- 3.52 % vs. 9.26 % + /- 5.15 % ; P < 0.01 ) and also between the start of treatment and final evaluation ( Delta% AP-BMD : 61.23 % + /- 1.61 % vs. 56.97 % + /- 1.45 % , P < 0.01 ; Delta% vBMD : 36.69 % + /- 5.01 % vs. 28.01 % + /- 5.76 % , P < 0.01 ) . In all our females with CPP treated with GnRHa , bone densitometric parameters were in the normal range for age and sex . However , bone mass achievement seemed to be better preserved in the group of patients supplemented with calcium
There was no effect of calcium supplementation  on femoral neck or lumbar spine BMD .
There was no evidence of effect modification by baseline calcium intake , sex , ethnicity , physical activity or pubertal stage .
While there is a small effect of calcium supplementation in the upper limb , the increase in BMD which results is unlikely to result in a clinical ly significant decrease in fracture risk .
The results do not support the use of calcium supplementation  in healthy children as a public health intervention .
These results can not be extrapolated to children with medical conditions affecting bone metabolism
BACKGROUND Clinical trials have shown that  calcium supplementation in children can increase  bone mineral density ( BMD ) although this effect may not be maintained .
There has been no quantitative systematic review of this intervention .
To determine the effectiveness of calcium supplementation for improving BMD  in children .
.
To determine if any effect varies by sex , pubertal stage , ethnicity or level of physical activity , and if any effect persists after supplementation is ceased .