nutrients-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

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: 5 January 2026 | Viewed by 2550

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
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
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
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

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

13 pages, 896 KiB  
Article
Influence of Dietary Calcium Intake on Skeletal Health and Body Composition in an Italian Elderly Population
by Carla Caffarelli, Antonella Al Refaie, Caterina Mondillo, Guido Cavati, Anna Lora, Luigi Gennari, Ranuccio Nuti and Stefano Gonnelli
Nutrients 2025, 17(13), 2073; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17132073 - 21 Jun 2025
Viewed by 328
Abstract
Background: Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body and is essential not only for bone health but also for many other physiological functions. In fact, dietary calcium intake is important not only for bone health but also for fat mass [...] Read more.
Background: Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body and is essential not only for bone health but also for many other physiological functions. In fact, dietary calcium intake is important not only for bone health but also for fat mass and overall body composition. This study aimed to evaluate the potential effects of dietary calcium intake on bone mineral density (BMD), body composition, and fragility fractures. Methods: In a cohort of 173 consecutive elderly men and 939 women aged 55 and over, living in Siena, Italy, daily dietary calcium intake was evaluated using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) specifically validated for the Italian population. Bone mineral density at various skeletal sites and body composition were measured in all participants using a Lunar Prodigy densitometer. Additionally, the serum levels of vitamin D and bone turnover markers were assessed, and the presence of prevalent atraumatic fractures was documented. Results: Across all age groups, calcium intake was consistently higher in males (898.40 ± 312.87 mg/day) than in females (821.95 ± 351.3 mg/day); the prevalence of subjects in the lowest tertile of calcium intake was significantly higher among females than males (31.4% vs. 14.5% p < 0.05). Moreover, dietary calcium intake showed an inverse relationship with body fat mass in women (p < 0.05) and a positive association with lean mass in men (p < 0.05). Two hundred twenty-eight (24.3%) women and forty-eight (27.8%) men had a history of one or more fractures, and in both sexes, subjects with prevalent fractures had significantly lower dietary calcium intake values than those without fractures. Conclusions: This study indicates that inadequate calcium intake remains widespread in the Italian population, especially among subjects with low BMD and a history of fractures. Furthermore, this study confirms that dietary calcium intake significantly affects body composition. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

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 1741
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
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop