Impact of dietary, lifestyle and sociodemographic factors on calcitonin levels in a healthy population

Calcitonin (CT), a hormone secreted by thyroid parafollicular C cells, plays a role in calcium homeostasis and bone health. Understanding the relationship between CT levels and dietary, sociodemographic, and lifestyle factors is essential for public health and hormonal balance studies. This study encompassed 3323 healthy participants from the Croatian biobank. We utilized principal component analysis (PCA) to reduce food items into dietary patterns. Regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between CT levels and data collected through questionnaires, accounting for age and sex. CT levels exhibited sex-specific differences, with higher values observed in males. Positive associations were found between CT levels and age, body mass index (BMI), as well as weekly consumption of white and red wine mixed with water. While height and sternal notch-finger length initially correlated positively with CT levels, this relationship reversed upon adjusting for age and sex. Regarding sport activities, CT levels were significantly increased in non-participants compared to occasional sport participants (p = 0.043). Dietary factors yielded intriguing findings, with frequent consumption of butter, animal fat and veal associated with lower CT levels, while higher CT levels were associated with the frequent consumption of white fish, blue fish, pasta, and rice. However, no significant correlation was found between CT levels and bone mineral density (BMD), weight, or body surface area (BSA). This study highlights the complex interplay of dietary, lifestyle, and sociodemographic factors influencing CT levels. These findings suggest that a broad range of factors should be considered in hormonal balance studies, underlining their potential implications for public health. •Calcitonin (CT) levels show sex-specific differences; higher in males than in females.•Calcitonin levels increase with age, increased BMI, and alcohol intake.•Frequent consumption of butter, animal fat and veal was associated with lower CT levels.•Frequent consumption of white and blue fish, pasta, and rice was associated with higher CT levels.