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 .
[Effects of calcium supplementation on bone mineral accretion in adolescents].
The trial is conducted to evaluate the effects of calcium on bone mineral accretion in adolescents . 161 healthy adolescents aged of 9 to 20 year-old are recruited and are r and omly divided into experimental groups in which 300 mg Ca is supplemented per day for each participant and control group . The  dietary calcium , physical activity , SMR , distal one-third radial bone mineral content ( BMC ) , bone width ( BW ) , height , weight and serum total ALP are measured at both the beginning and the end of the trial . It is found that the average calcium intake from dietary sources is 500 mg/d in both groups . Increasing daily calcium intake via calcium supplementation in adolescents results in a moderate increases of BMC , and there is a significant increase of BMC in the females during the late adolescence . No significant differences in anthropometry are observed between the two groups at the end of the study while the increase of serum ALP level in the females in experiment group is significantly lower than that in the control group during the late adolescence . It is concluded that during the pubertal years when the BMC accretion is evident , there are no significant differences in bone mass accrual between the two groups . While in the females , calcium supplementation may help enhance the bone mineral accrual during late adolescence when the BMC accretion is remarkably reduced
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 .