18 August 2014
According to a new review current evidence does not support the hypothesis that calcium supplements increase the risk for post-menopausal women to develop heart disease.
The meta-analysis included the results of 18 randomized controlled trials which investigated a potential relationship between calcium intakes and cases of cardiovascular disease and death among 63,563 post-menopausal women (1). The study results showed that calcium supplementation with or without vitamin D did not increase the risk for coronary heart disease or all-cause mortality in the participants.
The researchers commented that the analysis reaffirms the safety of calcium for heart health. As calcium is the main structural constituent of arterial plaques, the hypothesis was built that long-term use of calcium supplements, especially by elderly women who want to counteract the loss of bone mass, may increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Some observational studies reported about an increased risk for post-menopausal women who took more than 1200 mg of calcium a day for years (2, 3). However, there is no mechanistic evidence that shows why calcium from supplements would contribute to arterial plaques, the scientists noted.
1 January 2013
Maternal consumption of foods rich in antioxidants vitamin C and copper may reduce the risk of allergic events in infants predisposed to allergic disease, suggests a new Australian study.
7 January 2013
A new Australian review claims that the use of dietary supplements does not increase the risk of death.
6 February 2013
Regular high doses of vitamin D3 can reduce symptoms of respiratory tract infections and antibiotic consumption among patients with an increased frequency of infections, suggest a new Swedish study.
