Abstract:
Calcium and vitamin D are essential nutrients for children’s growth and bone development. Childhood calcium insufficiency commonly causes low bone mineral density (BMD), hypocalcemia, leg cramps and pain in Chinese children, while clinical evidence for commercial pediatric calcium supplements remains insufficient. This prospective cohort study enrolled 211 healthy children from 2024 to 2026, aiming to evaluate the effects of two inne® liquid calcium supplements on children’s height growth and bone health. Participants were divided into two calcium intervention groups (inne® Calcium-Magnesium-Zinc, inne® Bamboo Calcium) and a vitamin D-only control group. Key indicators including height percentile, BMD, serum calcium and vitamin D were continuously monitored and analyzed. All groups presented positive height growth. The calcium supplement groups showed higher median height percentile improvement with lower individual fluctuation, demonstrating more stable efficacy. Significant inter-group difference in BMD was observed P=0.004. Among children with baseline hypocalcemia, 70.91% recovered to normal serum calcium levels, with relieved leg discomfort after calcium supplementation. In conclusion, compared with vitamin D monotherapy, the two inne® liquid calcium supplements effectively and stably promote children’s linear growth and improve bone nutrition status. This study provides reliable evidence for scientific calcium supplementation in children. Limitations include suboptimal participant adherence and minor detection interference from environment and equipment. Comprehensive assessment with children’s daily diet and living habits is recommended in clinical application.