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 .
Effect of habitual dietary calcium intake on calcium supplementation in 12-14-y-old girls.
BACKGROUND There is no agreement on how much calcium young girls need for optimal bone mineralization . OBJECTIVE We evaluated whether the effect of calcium supplementation on whole-body bone mineral accretion depends on habitual calcium intake . DESIGN This was a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled , 1-y calcium intervention study of girls aged 12 - 14 y selected from a larger group according to habitual calcium intake : subgroup A ( n = 60 ) habitually consumed 1000 - 1307 mg/d ( 40th-60th percentile ) , and subgroup B ( n = 53 ) habitually consumed < 713 mg/d ( < 20th percentile ) . The girls from each subgroup were r and omly assigned to receive either 500 mg Ca/d or placebo .  Whole-body bone mineral content ( BMC ) , bone area ( BA ) , bone mineral density ( BMD ) , and BMC adjusted for BA , height , and weight ( size-adjusted BMC ) were measured at baseline and after 1 y. RESULTS There was no significant effect modification of baseline habitual calcium intake on the relation between calcium supplementation and height , weight , BMC , size-adjusted BMC , BA , BMD , or alkaline phosphatase .  Calcium supplementation had an effect on BMD ( 0.8 % ; P = 0.049 ) and tended to show signs of an effect on size-adjusted BMC ( 0.5 % ; P = 0.08 ) . CONCLUSION A modest effect of calcium supplementation on BMD was shown . However , the effect was independent of habitual calcium intake
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 .