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Calcium Across the Life Cycle: A Pivotal Role in Aging and Age-Related Diseases

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional Immunology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025 | Viewed by 1703

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Medicine Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Interests: calcium; vitamin D; metabolic bone diseases; osteoporosis; atherosclerosis; fragility fractures; sarcopenia; aging
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Guest Editor
Gerontology and Geriatric Section, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, 06156 Perugia, Italy
Interests: aging; inflammaging; frailty; age-related diseases; osteoporosis; fragility fractures; orthogeriatrics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Calcium is a key nutrient in the human body. The primary emphasis on calcium consumption during its initial scientific discovery was focused on early human life, primarily during growth periods of infancy and childhood. Nowadays, interest in calcium metabolism and requirements have been expanded to apply to the entire life cycle from birth through the oldest decades of life. Many commercial foods and nutritional supplement products contain calcium fortifications due to there being a wider audience for them. The purpose of this Special Issue is (a) to examine the role of calcium in human health and aging from cellular to clinical levels, (b) to review relationships between calcium levels or intake and physiopathological pathways involving the body’s homeostasis, (c) to summarize the evidence about calcium metabolism and multisystemic age-related chronic diseases, (d) to compare nutrient requirements for calcium across life cycle groups and global populations, and (e) to discuss strategies to address diet deficiencies or assure optimal calcium metabolism over the life cycle.

Prof. Dr. Stefano Gonnelli
Prof. Dr. Carmelinda Ruggiero
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • calcium signaling
  • aging and age-related diseases
  • neuro-degenerative diseases
  • cardiovascular diseases
  • cancer
  • osteoporosis
  • sarcopenia
  • bone–muscle unit
  • immune system
  • immuno-modulation
  • cellular senescence
  • hallmarks of aging
  • vitamin D
  • parathyroid hormone
  • lactose intolerance
  • dietary requirements

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 5368 KiB  
Article
Amorphous Calcium Carbonate Enhances Fracture Healing in a Rat Fracture Model
by Tsu-Te Yeh, Chun-Kai Chen, Yaswanth Kuthati, Lokesh Kumar Mende, Chih-Shung Wong and Zwe-Ling Kong
Nutrients 2024, 16(23), 4089; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16234089 - 27 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1291
Abstract
Background: Delayed and failed fracture repair and bone healing remain significant public health issues. Dietary supplements serve as a safe, inexpensive, and non-surgical means to aid in different stages of fracture repair. Studies have shown that amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is absorbed [...] Read more.
Background: Delayed and failed fracture repair and bone healing remain significant public health issues. Dietary supplements serve as a safe, inexpensive, and non-surgical means to aid in different stages of fracture repair. Studies have shown that amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is absorbed 2 to 4.6 times more than crystalline calcium carbonate in humans. Objectives: In the present study, we assessed the efficacy of ACC on femoral fracture healing in a male Wistar rat model. Methods: Eighty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups (n = six per group): sham, fracture + water, fracture + 0.5× (206 mg/kg) ACC, fracture + 1× ACC (412 mg/kg), and fracture + 1.5× (618 mg/kg) ACC, where ACC refers to the equivalent supplemental dose of ACC for humans. A 21-gauge needle was placed in the left femoral shaft, and we then waited for three weeks. After three weeks, the sham group of rats was left without fractures, while the remaining animals had their left mid-femur fractured with an impactor, followed by treatment with different doses of oral ACC for three weeks. Weight-bearing capacity, microcomputed tomography, and serum biomarkers were evaluated weekly. After three weeks, the rats were sacrificed, and their femur bones were isolated to conduct an evaluation of biomechanical strength and histological analysis. Results: Weight-bearing tests showed that treatment with ACC at all the tested doses led to a significant increase in weight-bearing capacity compared to the controls. In addition, microcomputed tomography and histological studies revealed that ACC treatment improved callus formation dose-dependently. Moreover, biomechanical strength was improved in a dose-dependent fashion in ACC-treated rats compared to the controls. In addition, supplementation with ACC significantly lowered bone formation and resorption marker levels two–three weeks post-fracture induction, indicating accelerated fracture recovery. Conclusions: Our preliminary data demonstrate that ACC supplementation improves fracture healing, with ACC-supplemented rats healing in a shorter time than control rats. Full article
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