Controversial results have been reported about the association of
calcium,
magnesium, and
phosphorus and
stroke risk, but none in China. To investigate the association between
dietary calcium,
magnesium,
phosphorus, and
stroke incidence in Chinese adults, we collected data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) from 2004 to 2011, including 6411 participants aged 45-79 years and free of
stroke at baseline. Diet was assessed by interviews combining 3-d 24-h food recalls and household food inventory weighing at each survey round. The
stroke incident was identified based on the validated self-report. Multivariate Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). For 32,024 person-years of follow-up, 179
stroke cases were documented. After adjustment for major lifestyle and dietary risk factors,
calcium intake was positively associated with reduced
stroke risk, and the HR of
stroke comparing extreme quartiles was 0.53 (95% CI 0.29-0.96, Ptrend = 0.03). In further stratified analyses, significant heterogeneity across sex strata was found (Pinteraction = 0.03).
Dietary calcium intake among men was more inversely related to
stroke, with HRs being 0.33 (95% CI 0.15-0.76, P trend = 0.02), compared to 1.24 (95% CI 0.46-3.35, Ptrend = 0.89) among women. However, no significant association between
stroke and
magnesium or
phosphorus was revealed. Our findings suggest that higher
dietary calcium intake was associated with a lower risk of
stroke in Chinese adults, particularly in men.