CHAPTER 33: Dietary Calcium and Osteoprotegerin

Calcium is an essential trace element of human body. It is both the constructor and regulator of the body, and the source of our human life. Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a glycoprotein involved in bone metabolism and plays a regulatory role in the immune, the skeletal and the circulatory systems. In recent years, the level of circulating OPG has become an independent biomarker of cardiovascular disease, not only for patients with acute or chronic heart disease, but also for healthy people. Furthermore, OPG has been involved in various inflammations and is closely associated with diabetes mellitus and poor glycaemic control. In view of the function of calcium and the role of OPG in calcification, the potential interaction between dietary calcium and OPG deserves much attention.