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 .
Gain in bone mineral mass in prepubertal girls 3–5 years after discontinuation of calcium supplementation: a follow-up study
BACKGROUND Calcium supplementation  during childhood and adolescence increases bone-mass accrual . Whether or not this benefit persists after discontinuation of supplementation is not known . We previously showed a favourable effect of milk-extracted calcium phosphate incorporated in various foods on accumulation of bone mineral mass in 8-year-old girls . We now report the results of a follow-up study undertaken more than 3 years after the end of calcium supplementation . METHODS Anthropometric and bone variables were measured in 116 of the 144 girls whose data had been studied at the end of the supplementation period . The mean time elapsed between the end of the intervention period and this follow-up measurement was 3.5 years . Areal bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the same six skeletal sites as those studied during the intervention phase . FINDINGS We were able to remeasure 62 and 54 girls of the calcium-supplemented and placebo groups , respectively . The increase from baseline in the overall mean bone mineral density of the six skeletal sites was still highly significant ( calcium-supplemented group 179 mg/cm(2 ) [ SE 8 ] vs placebo group 151 mg/cm(2 ) [ 7 ] , p=0.012 ) . A significant difference in favour of the supplemented group was also seen with respect to mean bone mineral content ( p=0.031 ) and mean bone area ( p=0.04 ) . Difference in pubertal maturation did not seem to account for the recorded differences . INTERPRETATION Our results suggest that this form of milk-extracted calcium phosphate taken during the prepubertal period can modify the trajectory of bone mass growth and cause a long-st and ing increase in bone mass accrual , which lasts beyond the end of supplementation
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 .