Journal of agricultural and food chemistryJun 27, 2019

Calcium Supplements Reduce Irregular Periods and Lower Fertility from a High-Fat Diet by Increasing Heat Production in Fat Tissues

Regenerative Health Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

Calcium supplementation alleviated HFD-induced estrous cycle irregularity and subfertility in female mice.

High-fat diet (HFD) caused longer estrus cycles and shorter estrus periods in female mice.
HFD led to subfertility characterized by longer conception times, lower fertility indices, and fewer implantations.
Calcium supplementation improved reproductive abnormalities caused by HFD.
Calcium enhanced the activation and heat production of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and promoted the transformation of white adipose tissue (WAT) in HFD-fed mice.
Calcium also improved energy metabolism and glucose regulation, resulting in increased metabolic rates and core temperatures.

Simplified

Obesity has been demonstrated as a disruptor of female fertility. Our previous study showed the antiobesity effects of calcium on HFD-fed male mice. However, the role of calcium in alleviating reproductive dysfunction of HFD-fed female mice remains unclear. Here, we found that HFD led to estrus cycle irregularity (longer cycle duration and shorter estrus period) and subfertility (longer conception time, lower fertility index, and less implantations) in mice. However, the HFD-induced reproductive abnormality was alleviated by calcium supplementation. Additionally, calcium supplementation enhanced activation/thermogenesis of BAT and browning of WAT in HFD-fed mice. Consequently, the abnormality of energy metabolism and glucose homeostasis induced by HFD were improved by calcium supplementation, with elevated metabolic rates and core temperature. In conclusion, these data showed that calcium supplementation alleviated HFD-induced estrous cycle irregularity and subfertility associated with concomitantly enhanced BAT thermogenesis and WAT browning, suggesting the potential application of calcium in improving obesity-related reproductive disorders.

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Calcium Supplements Reduce Irregular Periods and Lower Fertility from a High-Fat Diet by Increasing Heat Production in Fat Tissues

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