Topic of the Month
The role of micronutrients at all stages of life
5 December 2016
Micronutrients – we all need them, our whole life. But which ones are important for different age groups?
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.
5 December 2016
Micronutrients – we all need them, our whole life. But which ones are important for different age groups?
10 July 2015
Recent work by Ramsden et al (1) at the NIH in Bethesda, MD, USA has demonstrated that a dietary intervention rich in marine omega-3 fatty acids but low in omega-6 fatty acids can provide an effective, complementary approach for managing chronic pain and related conditions. The beneficial effects were found to be due to specific endocannabinoids derived from docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).